


Conduits

by AstroLatte



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Ash is the worse dad, Character Death, Completed, Dysfunctional Family, F/F, F/M, Fatherhood, Humor, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Lesbians, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Marriage, Misty is the best mom, Not Canon Compliant, Pansexual Butch, Pokemon Battle, Pokemon Journey, Redemption, Romance, Teen Angst, Teenagers, moved from ff.net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-03-30 20:41:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 128,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3951010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstroLatte/pseuds/AstroLatte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Though a seemingly happy family, Ash leaves Misty and their son Red behind to go on a journey and never returns. Twelve years later, Red, Green and Blue begin their own adventure to find that the world their parents left behind now holds higher stakes than Gym Badges.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was already completed at ff.net, but I moved it to AO3 so more readers can enjoy! Please leave kudos/comments as you read - it really helps!

Red Ketchum's father was a Pokémon master.

Well, "was" may not be the correct term. According to his mother, his father was most likely still out there...somewhere.

Red's mother had told him the story of how they met an estimated zillion times. According to her, his father was a raggedy kid from Pallet Town and his mother had a bike. It was a typical boy meet girl story. Boy gets Pikachu, boy meet girl with bike, boy destroys girl's bike. Of course his mother followed him across two regions, who wouldn't?

They became friends (kinda) and went on adventures. Pokémon battles were fought, friendships were made, and time passed.

She returned home to take over the Cerulean City Gym and he continued to travel. As the story went, there were only so many places his father could go before returning to the girl with the bike.

His parents married a few months after his father returned to Kanto to join the Elite Four. The couple settled down in the Cerulean City Gym's living quarters and Red was born a year later.

Born with a love of Pokémon, Red even tried to catch the Chansey who delivered him. It was a story his mother often told at dinner parties.

She always thought she was so funny.

When he wasn't spoiled rotten by his aunts, he was babysat by his father's Pikachu. Not that it wasn't too hard to distract the electric mouse with an apple or bottle of ketchup.

Growing up in the Gym, his parents surrounded him with all kinds of Pokémon. Granted there were more water-types, he did remember his father's Charizard. As a child, Red watched in awe as his father would ride the fire-type into the sky when he went out of town. When he was five, his father allowed him to ride along as he went to Pallet Town to visit his Uncle Gary. His father pointed out different towns and cities as they flew, telling him stories.

As a child, it's a easy to get caught up in something as silly as a happy childhood.

Then it ended.

He remembered awakening late at night to the sounds of his parents arguing. It was nothing new as they always bickered, but this time it sounded different. Instead of his mother's usually bossy tone, she seemed sad. In her voice, Red heard her begging his father not to do...something.

Climbing from his bed, he made his way to the top of the staircase and watched his father. He watched as the man pulled the red hat he always wore over his head, ready to leave. Red watched as his mother grabbed his wrist and his father turn to spot him on the steps. Staring, they both saw their son sitting, hardly awake.

His mother let go and Red watched as his father climbed the stairs, taking him into his arms. He carried him back into his room, tucking Red into bed like he always had.

Red asked his father what was going on and the man ruffled his hair. In a loving tone he told him to be a good boy and to stay out of trouble until he got back.

When he left his room, his father closed the door behind him. From his window, Red watched Charizard lift into the air like always. Only this time he didn't come back home.

Red would ask his mother about his father's whereabouts to no answer. She attempted to distract him with work around the Gym, but couldn't hide her own pain. The distant look in her eyes and lack of location every time he asked was enough of an answer.

This went on for a few years until Red stopped asking. He was never sure if she felt relieved from the burden or not.

On his own, Red read newspapers, listen to the radio and watched TV to locate his father. There was a lot of news about some gang called Team Rocket, but nothing about his father.

After a while, he grew tired of staying up late waiting. The newspapers and radio had moved on and so did he.

Red grew older, helped his mother around the Gym and made friends in the city. Before he knew it, he was old enough to embark on his own Pokémon journey.

While most kids were going out to win badges, Red Ketchum's destiny was different. He just didn't know it yet.


	2. The Cerulean Gym

Morning rose in Cerulean City, creeping through the windows of the gym's living quarters and traveling all the way up to the bedrooms. In the last room down the hallway was a door covered in pictures of the world's most respected trainers, from Kanto's Lance to Sinnoh's Cynthia. Inside, the room was messy with clothes and shoes thrown haplessly around, on the far end of the room buzzed a TV showing highlights from the previous night's televised Pokémon tournament, across sat a bed, as messy as the rest of the room, where a teenage boy was sleeping.

"Bzzzzt! Bzzzt!" Rang the alarm clock of an Electabuzz that sat on the nightstand next to the bed. "Electro! Electro! Electabuzz!"

Groaning, the teenager rolled to his side and slapped the alarm clock's snooze button. Snuggling back into his blankets, he was still sleeping with his bedroom door crept open.

A poliwhirl waddled inside and made his way to the bed.

"Poly?" The Pokémon asked, shaking the boy softly. "Pol poly poliwhirl!"

"Nngggh," groaned the boy. "Five more minutes..."

"Poly!" The Poliwhirl frowned, crossing its arms, obviously not keen on letting the teen sleep any longer. He was ignored however, as the blankets seemed to have swallowed his sleeping companion whole.

A moment later a scream erupted through the Gym.

Downstairs, Misty was walking along the building's main pool as she read a memo from one of the gym's trainers.

"Oh," she said to herself as she licked her thumb to flip through another page on her clipboard. "Guess Red's up."

She left the pool to enter the living quarter's kitchen to be faced with her son who was now awake, but also very wet and very angry. Misty had to cover her face with her clipboard to hide her laughter.

"Good morning, sweetie," she managed between snorts. "I see Poliwhirl made sure you were awake."

"If by awake you mean waterboarded," Red fumed. "I have an actual alarm you know."

"Oh relax," Misty said rolling her eyes as she made her way to their tea kettle. "It was only a little water-gun attack."

"It flooded my room!"

"You're leaving today anyway, so its not like you'll need it," she glanced at her watch. "And you better hurry if you want to make it to Pallet Town on time."

Looking at the time, Red frantically ran back to his room to finish packing, climbing over the various water-type Pokémon that lived with them.

"Out!" Red shouted, pointing at Poliwhirl who was currently jumping on his soaked bed.

The water-type pouted as he left and Red closed the door behind him, exhaling loudly. After changing into his t-shirt and jeans, he took his bag to triple-check that he had all his supplies. He grinned to himself at the thought of finally being able to train Pokémon that weren't water-types. Granted, he loved all types of Pokémon but being the son of the Cerulean City gym leader left him lacking in the diversity department.

He giddily thought of the look on his mother's face when he would defeat her prized Starmie with a powerful razor leaf attack by his Bulbasaur. Or maybe give her a false sense of security when his Charmander, a would-be cakewalk, struck back with a ravaging mega-punch. Anyway, while Red wasn't set yet in which of the three Kanto starters he would pick, he was sure the one he had no interest in adopting was Squirtle. He had more than enough water gun attacks to the face to last him a lifetime.

As Red was packing the last of his things (did he really need so many pairs of socks?) the familiar coo of his aunts filled the hallway like a foreboding howl of a pack of wolves.

Quickly, he turned to his bedroom window, silently wondering if the fall would be survivable if he were to jump out.

"Awww! Our little Reddy is leaving for his Pokémon journey!"

Too late.

All three of his sensational aunts rushed into his room, hugging him so tightly that he felt as if he had suffered whiplash. While the growth-spurt he experienced in his early teens left Red a good head taller than his aunts, that didn't stop them from standing on the tiptoes of their stiletto heels to cover his face in sloppy lipstick stained kisses.

"Oh my god, Reddy! It feels like just yesterday you were, like, totally still in diapers," sobbed Daisy as Lily and Violet nodded in agreement. "Now you're, like, totally seventeen and going out on your own!"

"It's, like, so totally weird that you grew up like so fast," Violet added.

"Totally," nodded Lily.

Red laughed awkwardly, knowing better than to remind them that growing older is not weird at all but what happens to everyone.

He was saved by the call of his mother calling him to the kitchen. Smiling awkwardly, he excused himself before throwing his backpack over his shoulder. His aunt didn't take the hint as he made his way downstairs, his sobbing family following him like an unfortunate entourage.

"What's wrong with you three?" Misty asked, making a face at her old sisters who looked like they were sending her son off to war.

"Seriously, baby sis, you don't seem at all upset that your ONLY son is leaving the nest!" scolded Lily as Misty rolled her eyes at her dramatic sister.

"He's going to be back in two weeks to get his Cascade Badge."

"Oh my god," Daisy gasped. "You're actually going to make him battle you?!" 

"Um, yeah?" Misty replied taking a sip of her tea. "I am the Gym Leader, you know."

"That's so cold," hissed Violet as Red and his mother exchanged exasperated looks. "You're so stern, that's why everyone mistakes you as the oldest."

The bell to the side door rang as a young girl in a white hat made her way into the kitchen.

"Oh," smiled Misty, ignoring Violet's comment and turning to the brunette girl. "Good morning, Blue!"

Red turned to face his childhood friend who was currently sporting a white hat, blue tank-top and red skirt. She smiled as she adjusted her backpack on her shoulder.

"Hi Misty," Blue beamed, giving the other women a warm greeting before turning to Red. "Wow, I'm surprised you're awake."

"Way to say hello before criticizing me," Red shot, rolling his eyes at the girl. "And I'll have you know I had my alarm set."

"Poliwhirl's water gun attack?" Blue asked Misty, ignoring Red completely.

"A gym leader never reveals her secrets," Misty winked and with a groan Red marched to the counter to shove a piece of freshly cooked toast into his mouth.

"Hey, morning glory," Blue said, turning to Red who had hopped onto the kitchen counter for a seat. "Did you notice anything different about me?"

Red chewed on his toast as Blue spun around before him, posing with her hand on her hip.

"Uh, I dunno," he said, his words muffled by the toast in his mouth. "Haircut?"

"You are your father's son," Misty murmured as she buried her head in her hands.

"No, stupid!" Blue barked, cheeks flushed. "Gran brought me a new outfit for our journey!"

"Oh..." Red said, blinking. He liked to think that being raised in a house full of women would give him some kind of clue, but females were just too complicated. "Uh...cool?"

Blue huffed, crossing her arms and mumbling something under her breath. Shrugging, Red jumped off the counter.

"Well, we should get going anyway," he braced himself as he aunts tackled him again before turning to his mother, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Don't do anything stupid," Misty smiled, reaching up to pull her son's hat over his eyes. He laughed, adjusting it so his dark hair wasn't completely in his eyes. "Make sure to tell your Uncle Gary I say hello."

"No problem," he smiled. "Love you."

After throwing on a light jacket he made his way outside, where he was greeting by a bike, an object that wasn't there this morning.

"Ta-da!" Blue cheered, running from behind him and presenting it to him as if it had appeared through a magic trick. "Pretty cool, huh? It was the second part of Gran's gift. With this we can get to Pallet Town in no time!"

"Wow," said Red after letting out a long whistle. He ran his fingers over the handlebars before turning to the girl. "This is a nice bike!"

"Of course!" Blue grinned, crossing her arms and grinning. "Gran said it'd be a lot eas- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Red blinked, sitting on the bike, looking ready to go.

"Uh, sitting," he said, pointing to the handlebars. "C'mon, get on the handles so we can get going."

"What..." Blue shook her head, stomping her foot in anger. "No! Its MY bike so I get to ride it! Get your own!"

"But I don't have one," Red said simply, knocking back the kickstand with his heel. "And you said the bike will get us to Pallet quicker."

"Yes, but I wanna peddle it!"

"Okay, but do you really want to try to bike with me on the handlebars?" Red asked as Blue continued to pout but reluctantly hopped on top of her own bike's handlebars.

"You better not look at my butt!" Blue snapped, her cheeks pink.

Red's face grew hot as he quickly turned away with a snort.

"As if I wanna look at your mushy jigglypuff butt," he barked as he pushed off the bike.

Blue fell backwards slightly with a gasp and Red felt his heart beat faster as a few strands of her soft, brown hair flew by his nose. The scent of her shampoo was familiar and lingering. He snapped back to reality when he heard his passenger shout with a laugh as he began to peddle down the road.

"We're off to Pallet Town!"


	3. Oak Laboratory

Red skidded to a stop in front of Oak Laboratory as Blue gracefully hopped off the handlebars. They made pretty good time considering the "short-cut" Red took through Diglett's Cave that led them face-to-face with an angry Dugtrio. Luckily Blue had packed some Max Repel and a few seconds of frantic screaming later, they were just outside of Viridian Forest.

"Next time," growled Blue, picking the last strands of dirt and rock from her hair. "I peddle and you walk!"

Red rolled his eyes and leaned the bike against the sign outside. As Blue ranted and scolded him for being "the worst cyclist in the entire universe" Red took a moment to reflect on where he was. Pallet Town, the place where all Kanto trainers take their first steps with their Pokémon.

It was also the childhood home to his father.

Red pushed that mixed feeling to a place where he put all his feelings about his long estranged father - suppressed deep inside where he wouldn't have to deal with it unless he ever had to go to therapy. And by the sounds of Blue's scolding that would probably be sooner than later.

"Hey!" Red heard from overhead, and him and Blue quickly looked up to see a spiky-haired teen with green eyes sitting on top of the lab. "Glad to see you guys made it."

"Hey, Green!" Red greeted as he watched the boy pack up his binoculars. "Whatcha doing up there? Helping your dad with his research?"

Green skidded down the ladder that rested on the side of the building, heading over to Red and giving his best friend a bro-hug.

"Sorta," Green shrugged turning to Blue. His cheeks tinted slightly at the sight of the still peeved brunette. "Oh...um...hello, Blue. You look..."

"Like I just escaped the angry wrath of a Dugtrio?" Blue snapped, shooting another look at Red. "You'd be surprised what your idiot friend here thinks counts for a short-cut!"

"Would you let it go?" Red sighed, exhausted. "We're alive aren't we?"

Blue crossed her arms tightly, mumbling something under her breath that Red assumed were curses against him.

"Anyway," Red said, turning away from Blue to his best friend. "Where's your dad? I'm ready for my starter!"

"He's inside," Green said with a laugh, throwing his backpack over his shoulder as he opened the door of the lab. Red and Blue followed him inside, making sure to wipe the leftover mud from the Dugtrio incident on the welcome mat.

They followed Green to the back of the lab, passing several Aides dressed in white coats exchanging notes on clipboards and vials of strange substances.

"Wow," said Red, turning to Green. "I always forget how big this place is inside."

Green shrugged, "Dad's done a lot of...expanding since mom passed away."

Red nodded silently, understanding all too well how the absence of a parent can affect a family. Green trekked on ahead, stopping in a room with books stacked from the floor to the ceiling. In the far corner stood a ladder, and perched on top was none other than Gary Oak nose deep in a textbook.

"Yo, Dad!" Green called.

"Unless the lab is on fire," Gary called from the ladder. "Come back later."

"Excuse him," Green said, slapping his forehead with his hand, "He can get a little wrapped up in his research."

Red and Blue exchanged looks as Green kicked his father's ladder, causing it to sway.

"Hey!" Gary called, ripping his nose from his book. "What's the big i- Oh hey, son!"

Instantly the young professor's tune changed as he threw his book over his shoulder and slid down the ladder with a style only Gary Oak could master.

"Did you finish mapping the Sparrow's flight pattern?" Gary asked his son, putting his reading glasses in the breast pocket of his lab coat.

"Yeah, but Red and Blue are here," said Green, handing his father the backpack. "You said we could get our starters once we were all together, right?"

Gary's attention peaked at the mention of the two other teens, and for the first time since entering the room it appeared he realized that his son was not the only other person in the room. He smiled when he saw Red.

"Red Ketchum," he grinned, hugging the young man tightly before letting him go, resting both hands on his shoulders. "Holy crap, you've gotten taller!"

Red laughed nervously as Gary forced him and Green to stand back-to-back, comparing height. The two teens were similar, with Red having a few centimeters on Green. Though it was hard to tell due to Green's spiky chestnut hair and Red's hat.

"It's insane to think you kids are already seventeen," murmured Gary under his breath, as if just realizing how old his son and friend were. "Anyway, how's Mom? She still showing her sisters how to run a Gym?"

"Yeah," Red said, smiling. "She sends her love."

"Pfft," Gary said making a face. "I'd prefer if she came over here to visit every so often. Your grandmother does too - oh, that reminds me. You better stop by there before you leave, she'd kill me if you didn't."

Red's face blanched, though nobody seemed to notice. Gary moved his attention to the brown-haired girl, who was uncharacteristically quiet for most of the meeting.

"Oh! Sorry, Uncle Gary this is Blue," Red said snapping from his own mind and introducing the girl. "She was my neighbor in Cerulean."

Gary smirked, "Ah, yes, I remember Green saying something about her."

At the mention of this, Green froze though Red couldn't see why. They had all been friends since they were kids, of course Green would say something about Blue.

"Um...hello, Professor Oak," Blue blushed with a bow. "T-thank you for letting me have a Pokémon of my own!"

Red and Green looked puzzled while Gary let out a snort before bellowing into full laughter.

"Geez, kid, relax," he laughed, motioning the trio to follow him. "I'm giving you your first Pokémon, not sacrificing you to Cinnabar's volcano!"

Green attempted to smile reassuring as Blue's blushed deepened. Red just raised an eyebrow, was he missing something?

"S-sorry, Professor Oak!" she stammered as her words seemed to escape her (for once). "It's just that...I...I...I AM A HUGE FAN OF YOUR WORK!"

At this outburst everyone froze, especially Gary who blinked twice before Blue was on a roll.

"Your studies on eeveelutions have been a huge part of my life since the second grade! Your paper on the discovery of Leafeon and Glaceon completely revolutionized the modern Pokédex!"

Green and Red watched as Gary's expression went from puzzled, intrigued, to arrogant. With a chuckle, he placed a hand on his hip.

"Well, you know, it wasn't that impressive," he said with a smirk. "I mean, what kind of scientist would I be if I didn't travel all the way to Sinnoh to level up an Eevee by an ice rock, right?"

"B-but that's just the brilliance of it!" Blue babbled. "Your genius on the behavior of such a rare and beautiful Pokémon is what inspired me to want to become a trainer!"

Green and Red winced. Using the words "brilliance" and "genius" to describe Gary Oak was a stroke his ego did not need.

Gary shot the young girl a dashing smile, ignoring the groans of protest by his son and Red.

"Would you be interested in seeing what I'm currently working on?"

"YES!" Blue squealed, nearly trampling over the two boys to follow Gary into another room. Green groaned, burying his head in his hands while Red pouted.

"Dude," Red said turning to Green. "If we don't get our starters cause your dad is too busy boinking my neighbor, I'm gonna be so pissed."

"Shut up!" Green yelled, punching his friend in the arm.

"Yo," Gary called, peeking his head back to the hallway. "Stop screwing around and get in here too."

The boys followed and the first thing Red noticed were the three Poké Balls sitting on the table. His heart jumped into his throat...this was really happening.

As he made his way towards the table he noticed on the ground sat Blue, cooing over a litter of three baby Eevees. Green thumbed the bed.

"Dad's main research is on Eevee breeding and evolutions," he explained. "Umbreon just gave birth to her first litter since I was born. It's kinda a big deal if you're into that sorta thing."

Red watched as Gary picked up a small pup and handed it to Blue, who looked like she was going to die or explode at any moment.

"Umbreon was my starter back when she was just a little Eevee," Gary explained, rubbing his starter behind the ears as she laid with her pups. Blue's eyes widened, turning to Gary who read her mind.

"Sorry, but these pups are far too young for any battling," he smiled, taking the tiny Pokémon from the girl. "But if you end up being a good enough trainer...well, we'll see."

Blue made a face, and Red seriously wondered if the girl was going to be okay after this meeting.

"T-thank you, Professor Oak!" she squealed.

"Also, call me Gary," the man laughed, walking to the table with the three Poké Balls. "Professor Oak is my grandfather."

"O-of course," Blue stammered and Red gave Gary a look of annoyance.

"Now that you've sent Blue into a catatonic state," he said crossing his arms. "Can we please pick our Pokémon now?!"

Shaking his head, Gary led the teens to the table.

"Here's the drill," he explained. "Three Poké Balls, and three kids. From left to right you have Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. You're gonna pick one at a time, got it?"

The trio nodded.

"Good," Gary smirked and nodded at his son. "Green, you go first."

Green looked shocked for a moment before nodding, heading over to the table with nervous ambition.

"Professor's Pet," Red mumbled under his breath, earning a pinch on the arm from Blue.

After studying the table for a moment, Green reached to the far left and picked up the ball holding a Bulbasaur.

"I choose Bulbasaur," he said, tossing the ball in the air. In a flash of red the tiny, green Pokémon appeared.

"Bulbasaur?" Bulbasaur grunted, examining the room.

"Hey, Bulbasaur," Green smiled, kneeling down so he was nose-to-nose with the tiny grass-type. He extended his hand as a show of goodwill. "I'm Green. I look forward to adventuring with you!"

Bulbasaur took a few steps forward, smelling the boy's hand before licking it fondly.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur cheered, happy with his new trainer. "Bul bulba saur!"

"Amazing," Gary smirked as his son recalled his new Pokémon. "I've never seen a Bulbasaur take to its trainer so quickly before! Amazing, Green!"

"Oh...um...thanks, dad." Green smiled, turning back to his friends.

"Next is-" Gary began before being interrupted by his ringing Pokégear. "Oh, hold up one sec."

Gary walked out of the room, answering the Pokégear in the hallway. Back in the office, Blue turned to Green.

"Must be cool to have a dad that's such an important guy," she said. Green shrugged, attaching his new Bulbasaur's Poké Ball to his belt holster.

"I guess."

Gary made his way back to the room, Red noticed how his expression quickly changed from stern to friendly.

"Bad news, kiddies," Gary said, grabbing a bag that sat on a nearby desk. "I just got called to an assignment."

Green's face hardened as his father passed them, reaching for the three red devices next to the Poké Balls on the table.

"Here are your Pokédex," Gary explained, exchanging his lab coat for his windbreaker. "Those also act as your trainer IDs so don't lose them."

"But what about our Pokémon?" Red asked, miffed.

"Oh that?" Gary said with a shrug. "You and Blue figure out who gets the last two and then you're off!"

Red and Blue exchanged looks before glancing at the two balls on the table. He knew which starter he didn't want, and he had a feeling that he was about to fight Blue for the other.

"If you guys have any questions feel free to ask one of my aides."

"Dad?" Green asked and Gary stopped in his tracks to look at his son. After a moment, Gary rested his hand on Green's shoulder with a smile.

"I'm proud of you, kiddo, and your mom would be too," he said, before turning to leave. "Smell ya kids later!"

The room's door closed with a bang, leaving the three teenagers alone with a some dusty old books and a couple of Poké Balls.

"Alright," Red said, clearing his throat. "Guess I'll go first."

Blue extended her arm, blocking Red as he motioned towards the table.

"Excuse you," she snapped. "Haven't you ever heard the term 'ladies first'?"

Frowning, Red crossed his arms, "Funny, I don't see any ladies."

Blue's cheeks reddened and Green ended the argument with a curt whistle.

"You are not going to bicker over this," the green-eyed teen explained, pulling a coin out of his pocket. "Instead, I'm going to flip this coin and whoever calls it right gets to pick first."

Blue and Red glowered at each other. Green sighed exasperatedly.

"Call it in the air," he said, flipping the coin upwards with his thumb.

"HEADS!" Red called desperately.

Green caught the coin mid-air, slamming it on the top of his hand with a slap. He looked at his two friends, mouths agape like a pair of hungry Ekans. He rolled his eyes and lifted his hand slowly.

"Tails," he said and Blue jumped, fisting the air. "Blue picks first, Red you shut the hell up."

"I didn't even say anything," Red mumbled and watched as Blue skipped to the table.

"Hmmmm," she said, taping her chin with her index finger. "Let's see...which one of these cuties should I take..."

As Blue hummed and hawed at the tiny devices, Red crossed his arms tightly and began tapping his foot impatiently.

"You okay there, buddy?" Green asked, raising an eyebrow.

Red didn't answer, instead he tapped his foot even louder. He had known Blue since they were kids and she always knew how to get under his skin.

"Hey Blue," Green said, turning to the girl. "You better pick before Red taps a hole into my Dad's office floor."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I was taking so long," Blue said, faking surprise. "I choose...Charmander!"

Red winced and Green saw it, sending him a look.

"You should change the way you're thinking about your starter," Green said low enough so only the two of them could hear. "Pokémon read emotions better than humans can and first impressions are important."

Red felt a pang of shame at the bluntness of Green's words, but he knew he was right. He watched as Blue called her Charmander for the first time, and instantly the tiny fire-type jumped into her arms. A connection was made, and wouldn't be broken.

"C'mon Red," the young girl said as Charmander climbed onto her shoulder, playfully taking her hat and sniffing it before putting it on his own head. "Pick your Pokémon!"

Red nodded, swallowing hard as he picked up the last Poké Ball.

"Squirtle," he called, throwing the ball in the air. "I choose you!"

In a flash of red, the tiny water-type emerged landing with a thud on the table. Red blinked, as the tiny Squirtle yawned.

"Aw, he's sleepy," laughed Blue. "Just like its trainer!"

Red flicked her a particular finger with a sneer before turning to the tiny Pokémon.

"Hey," he said extending his hand. "I'm Red."

The Squirtle sniffed his hand before moving back and spitting his own tiny paw before shaking Red's heartily.

Red made a face while the tiny turtle laughed.

"Looks like you have your hands full there," said Green, turning around. "Okay, lemme grab my bag from upstairs and we'll be on our way."

Blue held the tiny fire-type in her arms, bending forward to smile at the Squirtle.

"Hi Squirtle," she beamed. "I'm Blue and this is Charmander, we'll going to be going on a journey together! It's nice to meet you!"

Red raised an eyebrow as Squirtle took a few steps forward towards Blue. Protectively, Charmander jumped from her arms, standing in front of his trainer. The two Pokémon glared at each other, sizing the other up.

"Uh oh," Blue said under her breath. Red remained silent, curious to see how the opposite types interacted.

After a moment of tension, both Pokémon jumped forward and exchanged high-fives before turning to their trainers laughing.

"Oh," Blue sighed in relief. "I guess they're friends."

"Funny joke," Red said raising Squirtle's Poké Ball to return him. "Okay, back in you go."

"Squirt!" Squirtle grunted, sidestepping the red beam before turning to Red. "Squirtle! Squirt! Squirt!"

"Huh...you don't wanna go in your ball yet?"

The water Pokémon nodded, and Red looked at his ball. Blue turned to her friend as Charmander climbed back into her embrace.

"I don't see the problem with it," she said, holding the now beaming fire-type. "It can be a good way to get to know each other."

"I guess," Red mumbled. "Okay, you can stay out - but you gotta behave yourself!"

Squirtle chirped happily, climbing up Red's pant leg to his shoulder, grabbing his hat and grinning. Red sighed, of course he would get the starter with an attitude problem.

Green returned shortly, leading his friends to the front of the lab where they were stopped by one of Gary's frantic aides.

"SIR!" said the Aide loudly, thumbing the front of the lab. "MRS. KETCHUM IS OUT FRONT!"

"My mom?" Red asked raising an eyebrow.

"NO, WORSE," the Aide shrieked. "YOUR GRANDMOTHER!"

Blue and Green turned to Red, who was currently sweating, his ears as red as his namesake.

"Um," he stammered, "I'll take that out-"

"REDDY!"

"Damn," Red grumbled before he was tackled by his grandmother. The force Delia Ketchum propelled herself at was enough to send Squirtle flying into Green's arms and Red to suffer whiplash.

"Hi Grandma," Red said, his words muffled in her dress and the fact that he was pretty sure his lungs had collapsed.

Delia pushed Red away, frowning as she held him by the shoulders.

"Reddy!" she frowned. "You weren't going to leave without visiting me, were you?"

"N-no!" Red laughed nervously, "Why would I do that?"

Green and Blue exchanged a knowing glance.

"Good! Because I went through the trouble of packing all your stuff for you!"

"Wha?" Red stammered as Delia dropped what appeared to be a 50 pound backpack from seemingly nowhere. "B-but I have a bag, Grandma..."

"Yes, but knowing your mother she didn't pack you nearly enough underwear, so I bought you a dozen packs," Delia explained and Red felt his soul leave his body as she pulled out enough tighty-whities (which he never wore, he was more of a boxer guy) to fit an army. Green and Blue doubled-over in laughter and suddenly the old woman noticed the two teens.

"Oh! Green! Blue! There you are," Delia smiled, pushing pass Red's catatonic form to reach them. "I packed for you too - Blue I made sure to pack extra you-know-what's for your time of the month!"

Everyone froze - even the lab's staff who were trying incredibly hard to not pay attention to the embarrassing exchange.

Smiling, Delia handed the three teens their bags before tapping her chin.

"Oh that reminds me, Blue is that your bike outside?"

With what little will power she had left, Blue nodded. Delia tisk'd as if the teenage girl had deeply disappointed her, but nobody could feel anything under their awkward mortification.

"That won't do," Delia said, making her way towards the front of the lab. "All three of you walking across Kanto together is the most important part of your journey. Don't worry, I'll bring your bike to my place and you can pick it up on your way to the Indigo League. Have fun, kids!"

And just like a tornado, Delia Ketchum had come in, caused havoc and left.

"Yeah," Red managed, "See you later, Grandma."


	4. Viridian City

"I cannot believe your Grandmother took my bike," Blue huffed as they waded their way through tall grass on their way towards Viridian City. In front of them, the trio's Pokémon were making steady work of the wild Pokémon on route.

"You could've said no," Green said pointedly before turning to his Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, vine whip!"

From his bulb, Bulbasaur's vines shot like rockets, attacking the wild Pidgey.

"Yeah, so quit whining," Red said, turning to his Squirtle with a groan. "No Squirtle! Don't use water gun on that Caterpie! I said tackle! Tackle!"

Red ran to Squirtle's side to explain his battle strategy, only to have the water-type spit a stream of liquid in his face before doubling over in hysterics.

Blue rolled her eyes as her Charmander made quick work of another Rattata.

"Char char!" Charmander cheered as Blue ran to his side for a hug. "Charmander!"

"Way to go, Charmander!" Blue smiled and turned to see that Green had caught the Pidgey he was battling. "Woah, look at Mr. Hot Shot over here with his new catch!"

Green turned scarlet, quickly looking down at his Poké Ball to avoid eye contact.

"Um...I figured it would be good to have a flying-type," he explained. "Especially as we venture deeper into the woods."

"Makes sense," Blue nodded, motioning to Red who was still struggling with the Caterpie his Squirtle was attempting to "fight". "Looks like Red could use a flying-type right about now."

Green nodded, calling his newly caught Pidgey to action.

"Pidgey, use gust!"

Feeling the wind, Red grabbed Squirtle as the gust of wind and dirt carried away the Caterpie deep within the forest. As the dust settled, he stood angrily.

"What's the big idea?" Red called, Squirtle climbing from his arms to his shoulder with a frown. "You could've sent us flying!"

"Sorry Red, I was just testing Pidgey's strength," Green explained, petting the tiny bird's soft feathers. "I didn't know how powerful this little guy was."

Red mumbled something under his breath before stomping out of the tall grass.

"Guess he's not a flying-type fan," Green shrugged, returning Pidgey to its ball.

Still peeved, Red ventured further through the route, Blue and Green behind him. Squirtle tapped his shoulder before pointing to a sign in front of them.

"Huh," Red said looking at the sign before turning to his friends. "We're at Viridian City already."

Blue threw her fist in the air with a victorious cheer and pulled out her Pokégear.

"Oh, it looks like there's a Pokémon Center and Mart not too far off," she explained as they ventured into the city. "There's also a Gym, but it's for the Earth Badge."

"That's annoying to have the final badge so close to Pallet," Red said stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It means we're going to have to come all the way back here when we're done."

"At least it gives you an excuse to see your Grandma again incase you run out of clean underwear," Blue teased sneakily.

"Hopefully it's during your time of the month so we'll both be covered," Red shot back, causing the girl to turn red with fury.

"Can you guys at least try to get along?" Green frowned, stepping between the two teens. "You seriously need-"

Green's lecture was interrupted by a loud explosion.

"What the hell?" Red exclaimed before the three teens were covered by a heavy gust of dirt and debris. He held Squirtle tightly against his chest, protectively.

"Char! Char!" Charmander called from its trainer's shoulder.

"I got you, Charmander," Blue called, reaching out her hands. "Red? Green? Where are you guys?"

"Right here," Red called, taking her hand, briefly surprised by its warmth and softness. The thought was quickly shot from his brain when he noticed a missing party member.

"Green?" he called, suddenly coughing from the dust.

Reaching for his waist, he pulled out Squirtle's ball, returning his starter. Blue mimicked his actions before pulling the taller teen along, hoping to escape the dust vortex. Eventually the cloud faded, leaving them soot covered and on a random street in the city.

Green was nowhere to be found, but Red noticed something else missing. Letting go of Blue, he reaching over his shoulder and he felt that his backpack was missing. Frantically, he looked around to spot his bag...making its way down the street.

"H-hey!" Red yelled, running after the seemingly haunted backpack.

"Red?" Blue called, confused and not wanting to lose another friend in the city. "Red, get back here! We don't know what's going on!"

Red ignored her, quickening his pace as he chased his mobile bag out of the city and onto Route 22. He heard Blue's footsteps behind them, huffing and puffing as her lungs tried to expel the debris. The bag led them to a field of tall grass, but by the time Red and Blue arrived the bag was deep within the grass.

"Red, what's going-"

"Shh!" Red hushed her, his eyes narrowing as he glared along the grass. "Something stole my bag...I think it's a Pokémon."

"A Pokémon?" Blue blinked looking around the grass for herself. "Route 22 leads to the Indigo League, Red. This could be a really powerful Pokémon we're dealing with."

"There's only one way to find out."

From on the corner of his eye, Red noticed the scarlet strap of his backpack within the grass. Slowly, he made his way towards it, virtually silent as he crouched down into the grass. Like a cat, Red pounced, grabbing the backpack and revealing the tiny, blue Pokémon beneath.

"Riolu!" it hissed, jumping up from the grass. "Riolu ri!"

"Riolu?" Blue tilted her head, pulling out her Pokédex towards the tiny dog-like creature.

"Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon," the Pokédex recalled. "It has the peculiar power of being able to see emotions such as joy and rage in the form of waves."

"Ha!" Red laughed, puffing his chest as he threw his bag over his shoulder. "You thought you were pretty sneaky taking my bag! But nah-uh, small fry!"

The Riolu bristled.

"Its body is little yet powerful," Blue's Pokédex continued. "It can crest three mountains and cross two canyons in one night."

"Uh...Red…" Blue warned, "Maybe you should stop teasing it."

"Oh relax, I'm not teasing it," Red smirked, crouching down to eye-level with the Riolu. "Alright tiny, hopefully this will teach you to not take things that aren't yours, eh? Especially when they're a good meter taller than you!"

Red extended his hand, causing the Riolu to bare its teeth.

"Riolu!" it growled, taking Red's hand and sending him soaring into a cluster of trees.

"Red!" Blue screamed, running to her friend's side. "Red, are you okay?"

Taking advantage of the commotion, Riolu took hold of the backpack and fled into the forest.

Raising himself up slowly, Red cursed under his breath before taking hold of Blue by the arm and chasing after the tiny Pokémon.

"R-Red!" Blue called as the tall teen dragged her around bushes and trees. "Red! I think you're going about this the wrong way!"

Red ignored her, and continued his hunt for the Riolu. After a few moments, they neared a hollowed log where at one end the tiny Riolu was trying to push the overstuffed backpack through the tiny opening. Blue pulled her arm away and Red turned to see she had stopped, a finger pressed against her lips, signaling him to keep quiet.

"Riolus are really sensitive to auras," she explained in a low voice. "You need to calm down or else he'll sense us here."

Red frowned before turning away from the girl, squatting down behind a tree stump and breathing deeply in an effort to calm himself. He didn't feel like he was doing much, but considering the Riolu hadn't noticed them, it must've done something. He felt his heart quicken (probably due to excitement, or whatever) when Blue rested her hand on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see that she had kneeled next to him, watching the Riolu still struggling.

"It must need your bag for something," she whispered, unaware of how hot Red's face was getting due to her insistence on being so close to him. "And I bet you it's beyond that log...we should help it."

"Yeah sure," he rolled his eyes, gently shrugging off Blue's hand from his shoulder. "Let's help the thieving Pokémon, I'm sure that will go over well."

Blue shot him a look but was distracted by the Riolu's cry of glee as it pushed the backpack through the open end of the log, jumping inside after it.

"Quick," she said, jumping to her feet. "Let's trail it quietly."

Crawling beyond the now expanded log end, the two trainers uncovered a small clearing beyond the bushes. There they saw the Riolu digging through Red's bag in search of something, while a tiny yellow Pokémon writhed in pain.

"Oh no!" Blue gasped, "Is that a Pikachu?"

"No," Red said, shaking his head, "It's a Pichu."

Wanting a better look, Blue took a few steps forward. However, their position was discovered quickly as she cracked a twig beneath her sneakers. Red shot her a look as the Riolu jolted to attention. Sighing in defeat, Red slowly made his way out of the bushes, his hands raised in a sign of surrender.

"Relax," he said walking slowly with Blue trailing behind him. "We come in peace."

The Riolu stand quickly changed to hostile and Red kneeled to be eye-level with the Pokémon.

"Listen, all I want is my bag back," Red explained thumbing the backpack. "But I see why you took it...it's to help your friend, right?"

With his teeth barred, the Riolu's eyes quickly glanced at the hurt Pichu before meeting Red's.

"You just want to help your friend, right?" Red continued. "We'll help you, I promise. I know a few things about little guys like him, but you need to trust us, okay?"

The Riolu didn't budge.

"Riolu," Blue said, breaking the silence and instantly gaining the Pokémon's attention. "You can check our auras. We aren't going to hurt you, I promise."

Blue's soothing voice seemed to relax the Riolu, and his eyes grew cloudy as his senses scanned Red and Blue. After a moment, it appeared their auras were good as Riolu took a few steps towards Blue, leaving Red space to help the injured Pichu.

"Red," Blue said worriedly. "Do you know what you're doing?"

He shushed her, taking the tiny Pokémon in his hands and examining it. After running a finger across the Pichu's red cheeks, Red knew the cause of its illness. Gently he placed the small creature onto the grass and turned to Blue.

"Hey, hand me my backpack."

The girl nodded, handing him the overstuffed bag. Red's head seemed to disappear as he dug inside, eventually pulling out his Pokégear charger cradle. Nervously, Riolu shook as Blue gathered him up in her arms. The blue Pokémon didn't protest, but rather clung to her shirt anxiously.

"Hang in there little guy," Red said softly as he gently lifted the wheezing electric-type onto the cradle. He glanced up at Blue as he gently massaged the Pichu's red cheeks. "Since they hold so much power, sometimes electric-types short circuit themselves"

"So it needs to discharge?" Blue asked, tilting her head to the side. Red nodded and quickly smiled as Pichu's cheeks began to spark. Within moments the tiny yellow mouse's eyes opened as it released a surge of energy into the charger.

"The charger is acting like a circuit," Red explained. "Once he gets some bolts out he should be fine."

Blue watched in awe as Pichu released waves of electricity from its tiny body. When he was through Riolu jumped from her arms, landing on the ground next to its friend.

"Riolu?"

"Chu?" Pichu asked warily before noticing its surroundings. Excitedly it turned to its friend. "Pichu! Chu pi chu chu!"

After putting away the charger, Red rose to his feet.

"Nice to see you doing better," he grinned as he tossed his backpack over his shoulder. "Your buddy here was nervous about you."

Pichu turned to Red before looking back at Riolu.

"Now we need to find our friend," Blue smiled warmly at the two tiny Pokémon. She reached into the pocket of her skirt, pulling out a few Oran Berries. "Here, take these to heal up."

Taking the berries into his paws, the tiny Riolu made a face but Red couldn't quite put his finger on the emotion it showed. It was almost as if the tiny thing was disappointed.

Red was ripped from his thoughts as Blue took him by the arm.

"C'mon," she said curtly. "We gotta find Green."

Red nodded, looking over his shoulder to send one last wave to their small friends.


	5. Team Flare

The second Green heard the explosion, he was off like a rocket.

Holding his breath, Green reached into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief and pressed it against his face like a mask. Luckily, he knew the streets of Viridian City by heart and had a sinking feeling when he heard the direction where the explosion came from.

"Pidgey, go!" Green called, throwing the ball of his newly caught Pokémon into the air. "Use gust!"

With a cry, Pidgey flew from its ball and unleashed a mighty gust attack with its wings. Following its trainer, the two hurried down the streets in front of the Viridian City gym. Green's heart sank as he saw Officer Jenny with her men and herds of Growlithe barricading the area. Pidgey landed on his shoulder as his eyes roamed the area, setting on the exploded roof of the gym.

"If you're worried about your father, Green. You should know he was captured."

Green turned on his heel to see a thin blond teen sporting a straw hat and sitting on the back of a Dodrio. While not looking it, Green could tell it was a girl from the pitch of her voice, but her androgynous outfit and nature was apparent. Still, Green felt his cheeks blush as talking to women, no matter where they fell on the femininity scale, often proved difficult.

"Who are you?" Green asked and the girl hopped from the Dodrio, seemingly ignoring his question. His cheeks grew hot as she came closer, and he swallowed thickly as she extended her hand.

"Here," she said, handing him an envelope. "This is for you."

"Uh, thanks?" Green managed, taking a large step back from the girl who obviously didn't recognize personal space. "But who are-"

The Dodrio sped off before he could finish. Frowning, Green opened the letter.

_Don't worry, we'll get him back. Keep going. - A_

"Easy for you to say," Green grumbled under his breath as he stuffed the letter into his breast pocket.

He crossed his arms as the police continued their search, though he was sure they didn't know what they were even looking for.

"Hey Pidgey, do me a favor," Green said as the tiny bird took off from his shoulder. "Protrol the area and let me know if you see anything suspicious. Like someone coming or going who looks like they shouldn't be."

With a squawk Pidgey nodded and took to the air. From below, Green quickly made his way around the Gym and turned into an abandoned alley. It was filled with trash, but he noticed something that probably went undetected by the police - a single boot mark in the middle of a trash bag. Most likely covered-up by the stench of the garbage, Green looked up to see the dangling ladder of a fire-escape.

"Bingo."

Green took a few steps back and gave himself a running start, jumping high and grabbing onto the ladder. Hoisting himself up, he climbed up to the side of the building and onto its roof.

"Let's see, if I was an evil domestic terrorist where would I stand..."

Pacing the roof he stopped when he hit the edge and looked down to see that he had a perfect vantage point of the top of Vermilion City Gym. From the corner of his eye Green saw Pidgey flying towards him, and he extended his arm for the bird.

Judging by the boot print, whoever was on the roof was alone, but judging by the damage of the Gym there were multiple parties involved. Were they a distraction? But for who?

Green saw the entire staff standing for questioning by the police, with the absence of one very important person, their leader.

Pidgey let out a small cry as it landed on Green's arm, motioning its tiny beak upwards. The teen looked up to see the silhouettes of Red and Blue making their way towards the gym.

"Good call," Green said, returning Pidgey to its ball. Swiftly, he made his way down the ladder and through the rapidly crowding streets. The explosion had caused some commotion.

"Yo!" Green called, waving his arm in the air to gain the attention of his friends. They ran to his side instantly, maneuvering through the crowd to do so.

"There you are!" Blue huffed as they met up. "We were scared we lost you during the commotion."

"Yeah sorry, guess I got lost with the shuffle," Green laughed lamely, as his eyes met Red's stern look.

Though the Viridian City Gym leader's identity was supposedly a secret being kept even by those awarded the Earth Badge, Red was probably the only trainer besides Green who knew that Gary Oak still ran the gym. Blue, however, was still left in the dark.

As Blue rubbernecked the police investigation, Red silently nodded towards the gym, not breaking eye-contact as Green shook his head sadly. Around them, the growing crowd mumbled and gaped at the damage of the gym, loudly questioning what had become of its mysterious leader.

Red watched as Blue wandered closer to the scene, only to be barked at by one of Jenny's Growlithe. He raised his eyebrow at the girl when she walked over, her face pucked in thought.

"What's with the face?" Red asked, arms crossed. "Upset that the Growlithe barked at you?"

"No," Blue said, turning slightly pink. "I thought I saw something on that wall over there...like a graffiti tag or something."

"A graffiti tag?" Green looked over towards the Gym, though the crowd made it hard to see anything.

"Here, I took a picture on my Pokégear," she explained, raising her wrist up so the projection from her Live Caster function could show them the picture. Both boys leaned in to see the image of what appeared to be a red swoosh scrawled onto the side of the Gym.

"What do you think it is?" Blue asked as Red shrugged.

"It definitely looks like some sort of gang tag," Green said rubbing his chin. "I think we can head over to the Pokémon Center and do some research."

"Sounds good," Blue said smiling. "The case of the missing mysterious Gym Leader!"

Green let out a forced laugh as Blue and him walked ahead of Red, who had stopped in his tracks. Spinning around, he noticed a cardboard box sitting next to them that wasn't there before. As he neared it, it suddenly began to...tremble?

"Red!" Green called, gaining the teen's attention. Red spun around to answer his friend, only to see that during his distraction the box had moved.

* * *

"Boxes don't just move, Red." Green explained as the trio walked into the Pokémon Center. "They tend to remain pretty stationary objects."

"Thanks for letting me know, Sherlock," Red said with an eyeroll. "That's why I'm saying that it was weird. Do you think it has something to do with the gym being attacked?"

"Maybe," Green said as they made their way to the PC. "But I don't think a cardboard box has the ability to take out the roof of a gym."

Red frowned at his friend who sent him a coy smile.

"Forget it," Red mumbled. "I'm going to go heal Squirtle."

"Sounds good," Green said booting up the PC. "Let me know if you find anymore boxes."

Red flicked him a rude gesture as he made his way to Nurse Joy's desk. Happily her assistant Chansey took his one Poké Ball as the pink-haired nurse scanned his Pokédex for ID.

"Oh, Ketchum?" Joy smiled. "Are you related to As-"

"Nope." Red said briskly, taking his Pokédex and Poké Ball back quickly. "Have a good one."

Leaning over the counter to get a second glimpse, Joy turned to Chansey with a shrug.

Red placed Squirtle's ball on his belt, not feeling completely safe letting him roam around considering the day's events. As he neared the computer his friends shared, his mind unconsciously noted how close Green and Blue were standing. He shook it off.

"Did you find anything?" Red asked, as he leaned over Blue's shoulder.

"Kinda," Blue said, moving aside so Red could read the screen. "They're definitely a gang, but they're natived to Kalos."

"Kalos?" Red whistled. "These guys must be some kind of fancy if they're from Kalos!"

"Yeah, and they're known for using explosives by mixing poison and fire-types during their attacks," Blue continued. "Explains the vantage point Green found on the roof - they probably went in from above so they could get right to the Gym Leader."

"But what would bring them here?" Red asked. "And why Gym Leaders?"

The trio stood in silence and Red noticed the faraway look in Green's eyes. Suddenly, there was a crash as behind them. The teens turned to see two tiny Pokémon had fallen from the waste basket.

"Riolu..." the Riolu groaned, eyes spinning from dizziness.

"Pichu..." the Pichu said, sharing its friend's sentiments.

"Ha! I knew it!" Red said, pointing to the tiny Pokémon. "I knew we were being followed!"

"Hey those are the Riolu and Pichu from before!" Blue exclaimed and Green rose an eyebrow at the girl, clearly confused. "When we got separated earlier Red and I helped these guys."

"Yeah, that's not what I'm curious about," Green said making his way to the tiny Pokémon. "See, Riolus aren't native to the Kanto Region, especially not near Viridian City."

Red and Blue watched as Green gently began to lightly scratch behind Riolu's ears, earning him a purr.

"Sometimes they overexert themselves and get tired," he continued. "They secretly like to be pampered."

"Wow, Green, you sure know a lot about this little guy," Blue noted as the Riolu purred louder against Green's hand.

"Oh, well," the spiky-haired teen stammered. "Riolus are fighting and steel-types, and my mom was a steel-type trainer so…"

Red's attention left his friends as he took a look at the Pichu in front of him, noticing its darker coat and frayed pattern on its ears. The Pichu turned away from Green to look at Red, staring blankly.

"You're from Kalos too, huh?" Red asked.

The Pichu nodded and then pointed at the PC, which still displayed the logo of Team Flare. The Pichu then made a bunch of complex motions with his hands which Red was able to identify as a box, a plane, and a breakout. Red's heart jumped as the puzzle pieces began to fall into place.

"Guys," he said in a low voice. "These Pokémon aren't supposed to be here...they were trafficked."

"What?!" Green and Blue cried and unison, earning them a strict hush from Red.

"Keep it down!" Red hissed, turning to the tiny Pokémon. "You guys were taken here by those Flare guys, weren't you?"

Looking sad, the Pichu and Riolu nodded.

"So that's how Pichu got so hurt," Blue said, reaching out to stroke the tiny mouse. "Poor thing..."

"But if they're here illegally, then that means they aren't registered," Green said, eyes narrowing. "Kanto has strict Pokémon transferring laws. If anyone sees them and knows they're from Kalos, without being registered by a trainer they can be sent to who knows where."

"Exactly," Red nodded, turning back to the Pichu. "You guys don't want to be sent away do you?"

The Pokémon shook their heads.

"Alright," Red pulled out two empty Poké Balls from his belt. "Get in these, we can at least get you out of the Pokémon Center safely."

With two scarlet rays, the Riolu and Pichu jumped into the balls. They both shook once before settling.

"Okay, let's move," Red said, clipping Pichu to his belt and handing Riolu's ball to Blue. He figured if one of them was caught, at least the other would be safe.

The trio left, attempting to look normal as they walked through the streets of the city towards the Viridian Forest. Everything seemed to be going well as they were just about to hit the gate to the forest without even a smile from a passerby.

"You three, stop right there!" called a voice and the three teens froze. On a scooter, Officer Jenny pulled in front of them with a scowl.

"Oh h-hi Officer," Blue said nervously. "How are you today?"

"Fine considering the Viridian Gym is currently in shambles," she frowned. "You kids look like you're not from around here."

"I'm Viridian," Green began to stumble. "I mean I was from Viridian until I was until I was like six and then we moved to Pallet Town!"

Officer Jenny raised an eyebrow at Green as Blue turned white and Red covered his face with his hands. They were so doomed...

"Lemme see your IDs," she said, extending her hand as the three trainers handed her their Pokédex. The cop flipped each opened, and her eyes widened when she saw Red's name.

"You're Ash Ketchum's son?!" Jenny exclaimed, and while he felt his gut drop to his feet Red nodded along. His pride could be swallowed this one time. "Why didn't you say so, this city is indebted to him after he and your mom saved the Pokémon Center years ago!"

Blue turned to Red earnestly, "Hey! I never knew that!"

"Ha ha, yeah my parents sure were...adventurous," Red laughed lamely, kicking Blue in the back of the leg lightly. He ignored her pout and beamed at Jenny, wanting desperately to be anywhere but there.

"Oh, and you're Gary Oak's boy!" Jenny said turning to Green. "Wow, talk about legacy babies!"

"Yeah," Green said between smiles and fake laughs. "We are just so lucky."

"Well, sorry for the stop. Just gotta be careful with what happened earlier - ," the officer said, revving the engine of her scooter. "Tell your folks I say hi and good luck on your journey!"

The three teens waved as Officer Jenny sped off, only exhaling a combined sigh of relief when she was out of earshot.

"Wow, that was close." Red sighed, feeling Pichu's ball shake slightly on his belt.

"Seriously, I never want to get arrested with you guys," Blue said before mimicking Green. " 'Hi, I'm Green I am a Viridian,' whatever that means."

"Yes, I'm a bad liar, I get it," Green said with blush of embarrassment. "Now let's get out of here before someone sees us."

Blue and Red nodded, following Green through the main gate. They weren't stopped and quickly they found themselves in the mouth of the Viridian Forest. With a flick of their hands, Red and Blue called out their new Pokémon from their temporary Poké Balls. When the red light faded, Pichu and Riolu appeared, though appeared upset.

"What's wrong?" Blue asked, kneeling down to eye-level with Riolu. Tenderly she extended her hand to stroke the tiny Pokémon, but the moment her hand touched Riolu's fur a violet light erupted from its eyes.

"Blue!" Red called, reaching out for the girl but felt the violet energy flow through him like a current.

His hands went numb so though his saw his himself take hold Blue's shoulders he couldn't feel anything. In what seemed like another universe, Red heard the muffled voices of Green and the Pichu. They sounded so far away.

Red turned to see Blue, her body radiated in the light as her eyes stared at the Riolu, unfocused. He attempted to shake her awake, but he still couldn't feel anything. Turning his attention towards the tiny Pokémon, he was instantly hit with a flood of images.

Before him played the Riolu's life, from his time as a pup to weeks ago when he and the Pichu escaped Team Flare's trafficking ring. He watched as Pichu short-circuited itself and Riolu carry his friend to the deep woods of Route 22. Red felt the Pokémon's emotion, the overwhelming loneliness during his journey and the fear of losing its only friend. He watched him come into the picture and felt how scared Riolu grew as he chased him and how secure he felt in Blue's arms. The burst of happiness Red felt from Riolu when he had helped Pichu was enough to make him feel like he was going to pass out. Everything was so intense.

As he rode this wave, he looked at Blue. Was she feeling this too?

Then it hit them - Riolu and Pichu's wanting to stay with them and travel. They wanted to be friends. They wanted trainers.

Like being sucked by a vacuum, the violet light was gone. Red and Blue fell forward slightly, their balance off kilter from the experience. Red clung to the grass beneath them in an attempt to make the world stop spinning, Blue looked as if she was going to be sick. Green was at their side in a heartbeat with Fresh Water, which they both drank to keep from vomiting.

When it appeared that his world was back to normal, Red exhaled loudly and smiled at the two Pokémon.

"You could've just asked."


	6. Lysandre and Ghetsis

Lysandre was absolutely fuming.

The stomping of his boots echoed in the marble halls of the palace. Like a Pyroar's mane, his voluminous hair swished and swayed behind him. His teeth gritted, fist clenched as he barked at every person he passed the same question.

"Where the hell is Ghetsis?!" Lysandre roared as the two Sages, Ryoku and Rood, passed. "Where is he?!"

"Sir, Lord Ghetsis is a busy man," said Ryoku. "You must be patient."

"Patient?" Lysandre echoed with a dry laugh. "He is giving my men orders and killing them! After allowing you Plasma goons to use my labs and foil our plans, why should I be patient for? To wait for the perfect moment to kick his fu-"

Suddenly with a zip, Lysandre found himself surrounded by three identical men dressed as ninjas.

"Oh no, not the Shadow Triad," mumbled Rood, looking down at the floor with annoyance. "They always drag so much dirt into the castle."

"Shadow Triad? Please!" Lysandre laughed heartily. "Grown men dressed as ninjas do not scare me."

"We are not here to scare you," droned the men in unison. "We are here to escort you to Lord Ghetsis. Come."

Lysandre found his legs moving on their own as the ninjas escorted him up various stairs and floors until they faced a large silver and blue door.

"Inside," they spoke before disappearing into thin air.

The door opened, and Lysandre marched inside to see Ghetsis waiting for him. An older man, his small frame was draped with a cloak and a gold ornament covered his missing eye.

"Welcome, Lysandre," the old man greeted warmly. "Were you waiting long, my friend?"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand, Ghetsis!"

"Well, I have three and they just led you here," Ghetsis said with a grin before bursting into laughter.

"I am not joking," Lysandre snarled.

"Neither am I, my boy," Ghetsis smirked, turning to the table to his right. "Would you care for a drink? I feel terribly rude not offering."

"Enough with the fake pleasantries," Lysandre roared. "Explain to me why you have sent all my men to Kanto without notifying me first."

"Because we need them there," the old man said, as if it were obvious.

"That wasn't part of our deal."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," Ghetsis said, pausing to take a sip of his drink. "You see, you, me and our compatriots teamed together together with the same...target in mind."

"But why Kanto?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ghetsis said, his voice sounding slightly irritated. "That's where they lie."

"Then I want out," Lysandre said, his tone final. "And I want  _my_  men and  _my_  labs returned to  _me_. Traveling to some backwater region to kidnap Gym Leaders on a wild goose chase is NOT what I agreed to!"

Ghetsis frowned sadly, placing his glass on the table with a loud clink.

"Aw, my dear friend," he sighed, sadly. "You don't really mean that, do you?"

There was a pause and Lysandre wasn't even sure why. There was something about Ghetsis, something he couldn't put his finger on, but it made it seem like he was always steps ahead of everyone. He hated it.

"Yes, I do!" Lysandre shot as he marched closer to the old man, teeth bared as if he was going to bite him. "I am the leader of Team Flare and I control of them! Me and only me! Screw your deal and your 'prophecy' crap - I'm taking them back to Kalos!"

It was now Ghetsis' turn to pause. Silently he stared at the younger man, picking up his drink for a sip before exhaling loudly.

"I see," Ghetsis finally said, turning his back. "I guess that's that then."

"Yes," Lysandre said, slightly shaken. "My men and I will depart in the morning."

"That won't be necessary," said Ghetsis, his back still turned.

"Wh-"

The zipping noise shot through the air like a gunshot, and instantly Lysandre was overtaken by the Shadow Triad. His screams were muffled by their hands and they disappeared into the ether.

"Oh Lysandre," Ghetsis sighed, pouring himself another drink. "I had hoped you would be smarter than Maxie and Archie, but alas."

He walked towards his desk, drink still in hand. He pressed a buzzer and within seconds Ryoku was in his quarters.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Please share the troubling news to the Team Flare grunts that their leaders has fallen in battle," he said, drily.

"Shall I order more Plasma uniforms, sir?"

"Yes, just as you had for the Magma and Aqua recruits."

"Of course sir," Ryoku said. "Anything else?"

"No that will be all," Ghetsis said, finishing his drink and walking towards his chambers. "I shall be heading to bed. It's been a long day."

"Thank you, lord Ghetsis," the Sage said with a bow. "Hail Plasma."

"Yes," the older man chuckled under his breath, "Hail Plasma."

* * *

Red yawned loudly from his seat on the grass. Squirtle mimicked his actions next to him while Pichu snored lightly as it slept on his shoulder.

After spending the night in Viridian Forest, Red was reminded of how much he disliked bug-types. He chalked it up to growing up with his mother, who would scream and yell if there was a Weedle even in ear-shot of the gym. He remembered one time when he was fourteen being shoved into the main pool area to remove a Caterpie that had evolved into Metapod under one of the bleachers. By the way the gym had gone into lockdown, the city thought the caution was due to come dangerous threat and not a harmless (and motionless) bug-type.

That aside, Red's Squirtle just wasn't strong against grass-types and Pichu was only effective against the occasional Pidgey and Sparrow. Needless to say, they were sick of battling Bug Catchers and Youngers.

As Blue annihilated another poor trainer's Caterpie with Charmander's ember attack, Riolu cheered on his new trainer from the side-lines. Green, on the other hand, looked as deep in thought as ever.

"How you holding up?" Red said, turning to his friend.

"About as well as I can, I guess," Green sighed, watching Blue finish up her battle. "What about you? You look better than you did before."

"Yeah, I'm okay now," said Red, remembering the out-of-body experience Riolu Aura Share had on him the day before. "That was a crazy powerful move, though. I actually felt like his aura was like...being sent through me, or something."

With a loud crack, Blue's Charmander finished off the trainer's last Pokémon, a Metapod, with a tackle attack. The two shook hands amiability before Blue, Riolu and Charmander made their way over.

"Good battle," Green said, handing her an Oran Berry for Charmander.

"Thanks," she smiled, and feed the berry to Charmander. "It's really nice to grind in some experience before a Gym Battle. How far is Pewter anyway?"

"Can't be too far," Red said, climbing to his feet and stretching. The motion was enough to wake-up Pichu, who looked around the forest, still groggy.

"Ha, sorry about that, buddy," he said, petting the tiny mouse. "Didn't mean to wake ya."

"Pichu pi," the mouse squeaked, before lifting up Red's hat and crawling underneath. Red wasn't exactly sure why, but Pichu had claimed underneath his hat as its residence. He didn't mind, though every so often Red would find himself prone to accidentally share a few bits of static shock.

He was snapped from his thoughts by a small rock being thrown his way.

"C'mon, Red!" Blue called as Green tossed another rock at his friend's feet. "We found the exit!"

Jogging to meet them, a few steps later they were at the opening gate of Pewter City. The city was small, filled mostly with stonemasons and academics from the museum on the north side of the city. In the distance, Mt. Moon stood and was easily seen from every part of Pewter.

"So," Blue said, flipping open her Pokédex. "Let's see, first thing I think we should do stop by the Pokémon Center and then maybe head over to the Pewter Museum?"

"A museum?!" Red said, making a face like he was going to be sick. "To do what? Look at rocks?!"

"It's not just rocks!" Blue fought back, blushing slightly. "It's a whole bunch of stuff about space and Mt. Moon and...and..."

"An entire exhibit on the discovery of Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable?" Green asked, pointing to an advertisement banner.

Blue's pink blush turned into a full-red flush as she pushed her hat down to cover her eyes. Charmander and Riolu turned to their trainer and then to the boys with a scowl.

"Uh, sorry!" Green stumbled. "I uh...didn't mean to-"

"Make fun of such a stupid idea?" Red finished, raising an eyebrow. Green shot him a look before turning back to Blue.

"Blue, I-"

"No, it's fine," the girl said, recalling her Pokémon before they mauled the two boys (to Red's relief). "I'm just...going to go by myself."

"C'mon, Blue, I didn't..." Green stopped for a beat. "We didn't mean it."

"Speak for youself," Red murmured under his breath, earning a leer from Green.

"It's fine," Blue said with finality, already taking steps towards the museum. "I'll meet up with you guys later."

She was off quickly, her long brown hair swinging behind her. Green turned to Red, furiously.

"Well," Red said, stretching his arms over his head. "Now that we dodged that bullet-"

"Are you kidding me?!" Green shot, snapping Red from his stretching. "You're seriously going to pretend that she's not totally upset right now?!"

Red stared at his friend for a moment before rolling his eyes.

"Green, c'mon it's  _Blue_ ," he said. "She literally does this kind of stuff all the time. She's just a little...oversensitive."

Green stared at Red as if he grew another head, but the dark haired teen continued.

"Like when we were kids if I didn't pick her for my kickball team she'd get all upset and cry about it. And even the other day when she came to my house before we met up with you, she got this new outfit from her Grandmother and got all bent outta shape because I didn't notice," he explained. "She just gets all upset about stupid things. It's a girl thing."

"A girl thing?" Green echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, a girl thing," Red said, arms crossed. "And believe me, I know a little something about girl things."

A heavy silence dropped between the two boys, only broken when Green exhaled loudly.

"Red," he began. "You are my best friend and I love you like a brother, but you are one of the stupidest guys I've ever met in my entire life."

Red froze, mouth agape like a freshly caught Magikarp. Feeling exhausted by the situation, Green turned to leave.

"I need to go find someone," he explained cooly over his shoulder. "Go find Blue and apologize."

"Apologize?!" Red exclaimed. "For what?!"

"Everything!"


	7. The Pewter Museum

Blue pressed her face against the glass display of the oldest moon rock found in Kanto. At her knees, Charmander and Riolu mimicked her actions.

"It says here that this piece of moon rock was found thousand of years ago at the base of Mt. Moon," she explained to her Pokémon. "Isn't that crazy that something so little made it here from the moon?"

Charmander and Riolu nodded, looking back at the rock. They had only traveled a short distance to get from Viridian to Pewter City and that felt like it took a lifetime. They couldn't even think of traveling from something as far away as the moon.

After reading the rest of the display, Blue was off to the next one. This time it was a rocket ship, which she stared at for a moment before walking away.

"I'm not a big fan of rockets," she smiled as her tiny Pokémon held both her hands. "Do you guys wanna go back in your Poké Balls?"

Riolu and Charmander shook their head adamantly, causing Blue to smile.

"It's alright," she said. "You don't have to keep me company just because those dumb boys didn't. You've been great, but I can see you're tired."

"You would be right in that assumption."

Startled, Blue spun around to see that the source of the voice was a tall, young man with green hair and a baseball hat. Judging by his looks, he was only a year or so older than she was though the piercing stare of his silver eyes seemed almost endless.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"No, no it's fine," Blue laughed, nervously. "I was just caught off-guard is all."

"I see," he said before crouching down so he was eye-level with Charmander. The fire-type looked nervous, making motions to hide behind Blue's leg as the mysterious boy's glazed continued. After what seemed like an eternity, he popped up like a spring and beamed at Blue. "These Pokémon adore you!"

"I would hope so," Blue replied, trying to cover the intense awkwardness she felt with forced laughter. "I am their trainer."

The boy's features relaxed into an easy smile as he extended his hand towards her, "My name is N."

"I'm Blue," she said, grasping his hand in a gentle handshake. "Guess I can add another member to the weird name club, huh?"

The quip hung in the air like a wet sock.

"A weird name club?" N echoed and Blue felt her cheeks warm. Obviously this kid did not have an ear for sarcasm.

"Never mind," she laughed uncomfortably. "It was a joke. I mean the name club thing was a joke, my name is really Blue and I'm...sounding like a crazy person now."

N laughed as Blue tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

"I understand why your Pokémon like you so much," he smiled, meeting her eyes. "You are very cute."

Blue felt her face heat up, as N continued to laugh. She looked away in embarrassment and in the corner of her eye Blue caught sight of a familiar red hat. Turning back to N, she noticed that the teen was gone. Looking around, the boy was no longer even in the museum.

"Super weird," she said, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her skirt and to her surprised felt a piece of paper that wasn't there before. Pulling it out she saw it was a handwritten note.

_Until next time. - N_

"Super creepy," Blue mumbled, scrunching her nose and crumpling the note to be thrown in the trash. Her efforts were interrupted as Red made awkward eye-contact with her from across the museum floor.

"And super annoying."

Recalling her Pokémon, Blue walked away from him with a huff. Though Blue couldn't see him behind her, she could already tell Red was rolling his eyes as he followed her.

Not that she cared.

She swerved and swayed around numerous exhibits of fossils and rocks, in hopes of shaking him off her tail. Red was quicker than her, however, and just as she thought she had lost him she looked forward to see the lanky teen leaning against a display of Old Amber.

"If I knew you were gonna go through here so quickly I wouldn't have made such a big deal," he said with a shrug. Blue rolled her eyes, but her attempt to walk passed the boy was stopped when he gently took hold of her hand.

Blue felt her heart skip up into her throat, feeling her cheeks warm. She managed to make eye-contact with Red, who seemingly didn't realize how holding her hand was affecting her.

"Look, about everything before..." Red began, trailing off as he attempted to find his words. Blue wondered if they were on the floor since that's where his eyes were fixed.

"What do you mean 'everything before'?" Blue asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know," he mumbled, pulling his hand away to shove into his pockets. How badly she suddenly missed its warmth bugged her. "For that stuff you're upset about..."

He paused, and she continued to stare. With a sigh he finally finished.

"I'm sorry."

She paused for a beat, crossing her arms as she looked up at him, "You really mean that?"

"Sure," he said with a shrug. "It's my fault."

Blue raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Sure, I'm so wrong in this situation," he turned around to make his way out of the museum. "Now let's get out of here. Oh, and what was that tall guy in the hat talking to you about?"

Blue felt the anger in her swell to proportions she didn't imagine possible, Red continued on.

"He looked a little old to be enjoying Clafaries," his laughter was muffled when he felt tiny electric shocks running from his head to his fingertips.

"Pi...chu..." Pichu whispered, desperately trying to warn his trainer of the thin ice he was skating on.

"Easy up there," Red said, dismissively. He turned back around to face Blue. "So what was he talking to you about? I mean, it obviously wasn't for a date or anything."

Blue's fist hit the wall before Red knew what happened. Shocked, he made eye contact with the girl, who looked like something out of a horror movie. Her blue eyes fixed on him intensely.

"You..." she growled, stomping up to him with such furiousity that even though Red was two heads taller, he found himself backed into the wall. "You...are…the worst person in the universe!"

"Excuse me?" Red's voice cracked. "Didn't you  _just_  hear me apologize?!"

"But you don't even know what you did!" Blue cried, her eyes brimming with tears. "And you don't even care! It's just that you want me to not be mad at you anymore, isn't it?"

Red was silent, and Blue backed off, stomping down the hall and up the stairs angrily. Not knowing what else to do, Red chased her.

"Blue, c'mon!" he called as her brown hair swooshed behind her as she climbed up the stairs.

"No," she shot back. "Leave me alone, Red! I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Just tell me what I did wrong so I can make it up to you!"

"Well first off, you did everything wrong, so there's that."

"Okay, 'everything' is not a valid answer," Red said, growing annoyed.

They reached the top of the stairs and entered through a door to a round space. The room's walls and ceiling were covered in stars and pictures of Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable. Since it was early afternoon on a weekday, they were the only two patrons in the room. Their sneakers sunk into the shag rug, most likely made for seating, like tall grass.

Blue stopped, breathing heavily as she attempted to wipe the tears from her eyes. She flinched when Red reached out to her, turning away.

"No," she said, softly, "No, Red, just...just stop, okay?"

Red was silent, not knowing what else to say. He had tried to apologize but Blue seemed more upset than ever. The lights in the room dimmed as a low humming rumbled from the walls, the exhibition she wanted so badly to see was starting.

"Ever since we were kids I felt like a tagalong," Blue explained as the pictures of the fairy Pokémon bounced around them. "Like we were only friends because I was the poor little girl with no parents and your mom was nice enough to force you to be friends with me."

"Blue, that's not true-" Red tried, but was cut off.

"Then Green came along and even though he was nice, he was only doing what his best friend was doing," she continued. "You were the sons of Pokémon legends, and I was just the crybaby girl who tagged along."

She was trying to hold it together, but the tears flowed free down her cheeks. Red managed to take hold of her hand, but she was too upset to notice. The lights from the show reflected off her face like ghosts.

"I'm just...I'm just tired of fighting with you," her voice cracked. "I'm tired of us picking on each other and I just feel so stupid because I-I-I..."

She couldn't find the words anymore.

The room went black and within an instant Blue pulled her arm causing Red to stumble forward as she pressed her lips against his in a clumsy, impromptu kiss. She felt him kiss her back softly, the sparks from Pichu (who was most likely embarrassed by the display) flowed through them like an electric current. Around them the display of shooting stars and flying moon rocks buzzed, giving the impression that they were in some alternate universe where it was okay for two best friends to steal kisses. It was only for a few seconds, and when the lights went on they stood, noses touching.

Then it hit Blue what she just did.

She instantly pulled away, excusing herself to the bathroom leaving Red, blushing and alone surrounded by pictures of happy pink Pokémon.


	8. The Rustboro Gym Leader

Green stared down at his Pokégear, trying to navigate the winding streets of Pewter City. At his feet, Bulbasaur looked left and right as well.

"If I see one more rock formation in this city I'm gonna go nuts," Green grumbled, as was torn from his thoughts when Bulbasaur tapped him on the shoulder with his line.

"Bulba!" the tiny grass-type cried, pointing to a house. "Bulba bulba!"

Double checking his Pokégear, Green grinned.

"Good job!" he said rubbing his Pokémon behind the ear. "Now let's-"

He was interrupted by the ground rumbling. Looking up, he saw the familiar figure of the blonde girl from Viridian City running fast his way on her Dodrio. Quickly recalling Bulbasaur, Green jumped out of the way as the bird Pokémon skidded to a halt, dust and dirt flying in their wake.

"Oh," the girl said, sitting on the back of the bird. "It's you again."

"Yeah and we should probably stop meeting like this," Green said, slightly annoyed. Due to her androgynous appearance it was a lot easier to talk to her than the previous time. "What's your name, anyway?"

"My name is not important, Oak," the girl said, jumping off her Pokémon and recalling it into its ball. "Plus, it's not a good idea for someone to get too attached to their assignment."

"Assignment?" Green echoed, his arms crossed. "Someone assigned you to follow me around? Who?"

There was a silence and Green knew the answer.

"Figures" he mumbled.

"So you're looking for Gym Leader Brock?" the girl asked and Green stiffened.

"W-what? N-n-no," Green stammered, waving his hands in front of his face unconvincingly. "What makes you think that?"

The girl pointed to the house they were standing in front of and Green paled.

"What's all the ruckus out here?" came a voice, and both teens turned to see a tall woman in a blue dress and pink stockings. Her hair was tied in pigtails with pink bow that matched the colors of her stockings. By the sound of her accent, she was from Hoenn.

"Apologies, Gym Leader Roxanne," the blonde girl said with a bow. "We deeply regret being so rude."

Green stood still, blinking for a moment before he felt himself get pulled down to join the girl in a bow.

"Um, yes," he said slowly. "My name is Green Oak and I'm a trainer. I'm sorry for my rudeness."

"It's alright," the woman said, crossing her arms. "Hello Green, I'm Roxanne the Rustboro Pokémon Gym Leader."

"Rustboro?" Green questioned, rising from his bow. "But isn't that in Hoenn? I thought this was the home of the Pewter City Gym Leader?"

Roxanne paused, her face relaxed as she smiled, "Ah, then you must be looking for my husband."

"Husband?!" Green echoed. From what his father had told him, the Pewter City Gym Leader wasn't the kind of guy who could settle down.

"Yes," Roxanne said with a soft laugh. "Your parents weren't the only Gym Leaders who ended up together. Please, follow me inside - you too, Yellow."

Green turned to the girl, "Your name is…Yellow?"

The blonde girl froze, and after a single nod she climbed up the front stairs and into the home. Green followed behind her slowly. As they entered the tiny house, Roxanne instructed them to sit on the sofa as she went to fetch her husband. The clock in the living room ticked loudly as Green took in the sparsely decorated home.

"Doesn't look like they stay here a lot, huh?" he said, turning to Yellow.

"They travel," she answered simply. "We all do."

Green paused for a beat.

"What do you mean we-"

He was interrupted by Brock entering the room. His hair was shaggy, barely revealing his squinty eyes. He wore an orange pull-over and cargo shorts. His work boots were dirty, signaling that he had been outside training.

"Brock," Roxanne said exasperated, walking in behind him. "Don't come into the house with your dirty boots!"

"Heh, sorry, hon," Brock smiled, good naturedly before turning to the two teens to exchange pleasantries. "Wow, you do look like your dad, Green!"

"Heh, thanks," Green smiled awkwardly. "I actually came here to speak with you about his...disappearance."

Green explained the situation with Viridian City and what he had found out about Team Flare and their Pokémon trafficking. During the story, Yellow remained silent, slowly sipping the tea that Roxanne had set on the table for them. When the boy was done, Brock sat and rubbed his chin as he processed the story.

"Well," he said after a long silence. "As terrible as Pokémon trafficking is, I can't say that's something out of the ordinary for major Pokémon crime syndicates. Kidnapping Gym Leaders, however, is a different matter."

"Have you noticed anything strange, Brock?" Green asked and the older man let out a sigh.

"To be honest, kid, I don't really keep tabs on other leaders anymore," he explained. "My brother Forrest and I co-run the Pewter City Gym, so besides Misty I don't really reach out to other leaders. Also, I haven't been around the gym nearly as much as Forrest recently."

"How come?" Green asked.

"Leader Roxanne is pregnant," said Yellow, in her matter-of-factly tone.

Brock and Roxanne blinked in unison, staring at Yellow as Green looked on in confusion.

"Uh…" he stumbled. "Is that true?"

"Why, yes," Brock said, looking at Yellow. "But how did you know? We only just found out ourselves a few weeks ago."

Roxanne smiled from behind her husband, "Yellow is just as observant as ever."

A thick silence dropped on them like a blanket.

"Sorry if I'm getting off on a tangent," Green asked, pointing between Yellow and the older woman. "But how do you guys know each other?"

"Yellow was one of my students at the Pokémon Trainer's School in Hoenn," Roxanne explained. "She was always one of my brightest and most insightful students."

"Thank you," Yellow said, getting up from her chair to give her former teacher another bow. "I appreciate the compliment."

"Though, I do wish she would quit this wild goose chase with the Underground," Roxanne added sternly, and Green noticed Yellow visibly stiffen.

"Honey…" Brock attempted, but his wife was already on her soapbox.

"The Underground is nothing but a bunch of ragamuffins running around regions and getting themselves killed for something that most likely doesn't exist," she continued. "I mean Leader Oak no disrespect, however I must say I'm not surprised that he has been captured for continuing to associate with such a group. One would think he would learn after the death of your mother, Green, but it seems he and his friends have kicked the hornet's nest one too many times."

The teens sat in a thick silence and Green noticed he was clenching his fists. Letting out a long exhale, he relaxed.

"I see," he said, turning to Brock. "So I take it you won't help us, then?"

"It's not that I won't help you, Green," Brock explained, sadly. "It's that there really isn't much that I can do. Since I came back to Pewter I haven't had much contact with anyone and Roxanne and I were forced to distance ourselves from the Underground. We're just on a different path, now."

Green nodded, "I get it."

"I'm sorry," Brock said, resting a hand on the young man's shoulder. "But listen, your dad is a strong guy, he'll be okay. You just gotta have faith in him."

Faith, it seemed to Green, was something that was growing thinner and thinner each day.

* * *

As Brock led the two teens to the front door, he made sure to whisper in Green's ear low enough for his wife not to hear, "Ask Forrest about your dad. He's still part of the Underground."

With a small smile, Green nodded and walked back out to the street of Pewter City.

"So Yellow, do you want to meet my friends?" he asked, only to turn to see the blonde girl had already left. He sighed loudly, "I wonder if she knows how rude that is?"

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, the teen made his way towards the Pewter City Museum. Maybe seeing Red and Blue would lift his spirits, that is if they were on speaking terms.

As he approached the front of the museum, he did see his friends. Only they were sitting on two different benches, not facing the other, looking terrified. Green exhaled loudly, gaining both their attentions.

"What happened  _now_?"

Red and Blue both hopped from their respective benches, walking up to their friend.

"Nothing," they said in awkward unison.

Green raised an eyebrow as he noticed Blue and Red stop at either side of him, not making eye contact or even acknowledging the other's presence. He felt like a human shield and it wasn't just freaking him out, it was annoying too.

"Hey...so….you wanna go to the gym?" he asked, uncomfortably.

The two teens nodded and began to walk alongside him, making sure to match his pace and steps so they never had to see the other. Green felt his shoulder fall.

Why even bother?


	9. Boulder Badges

The trio approached the gym warily, this was going to be their first real gym battle. Red looked at Green who seemed annoyed. He wondered if something had happened or if he was still peeved that Blue and him weren't on speaking terms. Not that he would be the only one.

The thought of the girl made Red feel so many complicated emotions. On one hand, she was one of his best friends and they were constant companions since she moved to Cerulean City with her grandmother. They grew up together and he couldn't picture his life without her.

But that kiss...

That changed everything. So much, in fact that he wasn't even sure how he felt, besides the fluttering in his chest whenever he thought about it (which he just dismissed to be from stress or a mild heart attack). He had kissed her back, though he didn't entirely understand why besides from the fact that it felt...right? Good?

But it was Blue!

Red's mind collapsed again, fighting with himself over something he couldn't really comprehend. He felt a pinch on his arm and turned to see it was Green.

"Focus, Red," he said before pushing open the heavy gym doors. "I don't want to be here all day because you're off in La La Land."

Red nodded, Green was right. Right now the most important thing was to win that badge.

As they entered, the first thing Red noticed were how many rocks and boulders were scattered around the Gym. On top of what looked like a mountain, sat a man with messy brown hair in a green tank-top and cargo shorts. Around him, flew three geodudes and behind him slept the biggest Onix Red had ever seen.

"Yo, Champs in the making!" called a voice, and the trio turned to see a man with sunglasses holding three bottles of Fresh Water which he handed to the teens. "Welcome to Pewter City Gym! This place is run by Brock and his younger brother Forrest!"

"Um, thanks," Green said, looking at his water bottle before turning back to the man. "Who are you?"

"Me?" said the man with a hearty laugh. "I'm the Gym Guide! Listen to me, kids, and I can take you straight to the top!"

The teens didn't seem too impressed and the guide appeared upset.

"Now, now, I'm sure you have a whole bunch of Gym Guides telling you what to do, but I assure you I am the best," the man continued, pointing to Forrest who was still deep in meditation. "For example, Forrest is more into offensive rock-type moves, unlike his brother Brock who is more defensive. You're going to have to be one-step ahead of him to maintain any sort of advantage."

"Thanks for the advice," Green said with a nod before venturing forward.

Within a few steps, a stone wall closed them off from guide, leaving them face-to-face with Forrest, who had awoken from his meditation. Above him, the three Geodude spun rapidly.

"Welcome to the Pewter City Gym," said the young man with a smile. "My name is Forrest, and I am the Gym Leader...well, at least for today."

The trio stood in silence until Red cleared his throat loudly. None of them really figured out what to say to the Gym Leader when they got there.

"I'm Red from Cerulean City," he said, before pointing to the other two. "Me and my friends are here for our first gym battle."

"Ah, yes," Forrest said with a grin. "You're Misty's boy."

Red winced at the recognition, remembering Blue's bitterness about them being the son of "legends."

Forrest's eyes rested on Green, who most likely didn't need an introduction due to looking so much like his father. However, when Forrest's eyes hit Blue the young man was startled.

"And who are you?" he asked, the Geodudes above him spinning faster.

"I'm Blue," she said, and it took Red a second to realize that it was the first time he heard her voice since the Pewter Museum. "I'm also from Cerulean."

"Fascinating," Forrest said, emphasizing each syllable in the word.

Red didn't know Brock outside the occasional visit he would make to his mother, but from what he could tell Forrest was much more excitable and animated. After a few moments of heavy silence, Forrest spoke with a grin.

"How about we make this Gym Challenge a little more interesting?" he said, still grinning. "As opposed to battling you each one at a time, how about I challenge you to a triple battle against my three Geodude?"

The trio paused, looking amongst each other.

"Are triple battles approved by the Indigo League?" Green asked, impressing Red who was more worried about battling alongside the female of the group taken their lastest interaction.

"Let's find out," Forrest said. "GYM GUIDE!"

In a flash the Gym Guide appeared from behind them, though breathing heavily, "Y-yes, sir?"

"Would a triple battle with these three be alright with the Indigo League's regulations?"

The man reached into his pocket to pull out a battered old book, skimming through it with his thumb quickly. Within an instant he had an answer.

"The official guidelines don't say anything against it," he said. "Though I suggest that each of these guys only uses one Pokémon in order to have a leveled-playing field."

"Fair enough," Forrest called, skidding down the miniature mountain in the gym with his Geodudes. "Are you three ready?"

Hesitantly, Red nodded before looking to see if his other partners were ready. From under his hat he felt Pichu stir before lifting its brim to jump onto his shoulder for a better view.

"Alright, here we go!" Forrest said, jumping to his position on his side of the gym.

The Geodudes broke from their orbit around him to fan onto the field. On the other end, Red took his stance on the right side of Green, with Blue backing up the left. They threw their Poké Balls into the field, revealing Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Riolu.

"Let the battle commence!" the Gym Guide called, blowing a whistle.

Instantly the three Geodudes got into defensive poses, and Red wondered what it was like training three nearly identical Pokémon.

"Geodude, tackle!" Forrest called and wasting no time the Geodude on the far right lunged towards Squirtle.

"Squirtle, water gun!" Red ordered. Squirtle released a spray of water from its mouth and the Geodude dodged the stream, quickly landing a heavy blow on the tiny turtle's side.

"Squirtle!" Red called, looking to Green to see the young man's face drown in a frown.

"He expected that attack the second you called Squirtle," Green explained, eyes fixed on the rock-types. "He's probably battled a bunch of them considering he's Kanto's first gym."

"Good point," Red nodded and let out a sigh of relief when Squirtle gathered his bearings and looked ready for more. Forrest called another attack to a Geodude on the far left, this time a rock throw aimed at Riolu.

"Riolu, agilt-"

"Squirtle, another water gun!"

Shocked, Blue turned to Red as Squirtle's stream shot across the field, hitting the Geodude head-on, but barely missing Riolu who frantically jumped out of the way just in time. The hit was critical and the Geodude was knocked out.

"Geodude is unable to battle," the Gym Guide called as Forrest recalled the fainted Pokémon. On the other side of the field, Blue was livid.

"What's your problem?" she called, pointing at Red's Squirtle. "You could've hit Riolu!"

"Oh so now we're on speaking terms?" Red scoffed, humorlessly.

"Th-that has nothing to do with…" Blue stammered, growing red in the face. "N-n-nevermind, just stay on your own side!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"No, not fine!" Green interrupted, causing the two teens to look at their friend in the middle. "Not freaking fine at all!"

Red and Blue blinked in unison as Green's eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.

"Look, I don't know what's going on between you guys and right now I don't really care," he said. "But whatever it is you need to get over it because otherwise we will  _not_  win this battle."

"Didn't you just see me knock out that Geodude?" Red said, thumbing the field.

"You mean when you almost knocked out someone on your own team?" Green shot back, his eyes meeting his friend's. "I'm not kidding about this. We either work as a team or we will lose this battle and the badge."

After exchanging guilty looks, Red and Blue nodded and turned back to the field.

"His Geodudes are fast and tough, so we're not going to get lucky again with a critical knock out like we just did," Green continued, before pointing to Blue. "We need to outmaneuver them with Riolu's speed and Bulbasaur's range of attacks."

"Right," Blue nodded as Forrest called another attack, this time the middle Geodude dug its arms into the rocky ground of the gym for a rock throw attack. "Riolu, agility!"

Instantly, the tiny blue Pokémon was on its feet, dodging the flying rocks as he ran closer to the rock-type.

"Bulbasaur, cut those rocks down to size with razor leaf!"

The tiny green Pokémon unleashed a flurry of leaves from its bulb, rendering the rocks ineffective. When Riolu was close enough, Blue ordered for a hard-hitting mega punch. However, midway through its attack, Red caught sight of the second Geodude aiming its own rock-throw on the tiny Pokémon.

"Squirtle," called Red. "Hit the second Geodude with a Bubble attack!"

Taking mind not to hit his comrade, Squirtle jumped into action, unleashing direct stream of bubbly-foam at the rock-type. Within moments, both Geodudes were knocked out.

"But Geodudes are unable to battle," called the Gym Guide, pointing to the three teens. "The challengers are the winners!"

The trio jumped in celebration, with Green and Red exchanging high-fives and Blue tackled both boys in a hug. It only took a second for Red and Blue to remember why they were so awkward to each other and to back from the other as if they were on fire.

"Very impressive battling. Your Pokémon's powerful attacks overcame my rock-hard resistance," Forrest said, handing the three trainers a tiny gray badge. "You guys are stronger than I expected but I'm proud of present you with your Boulder Badges."

"Thank you," Red said, pinning the badge to the inside of his jacket. Green did the same, as Blue attached hers to a tiny case she kept in her bag. "I was getting nervous there for a moment that we weren't going to be able to beat you."

"Teamwork is key in any multiple battle situation," the gym leader explained. "However, you should meet with the Gym Guide so he can add your names to the list of trainers who earned their Boulder Badge."

Red nodded as he and Blue made their way to the man in sunglasses, Green however stayed behind.

"Is something the matter, Green?" Forrest asked.

"Yeah, I met with your brother earlier," Green said, feeling the anxiety build in his chest. "He said you can help me find my father."

Forrest's smile dropped, leaving a serious face that made him look more like his older brother. It freaked Green out instantly. Did he know something? Was his father already...dealt with?

"I don't know much," he said, his voice low. "But from what I hear, he isn't the first leader to be taken and he won't be the last."

"But," the young man said, looking around to make sure his comrades weren't listening. "He's alive."

"From what we think so, yes."

"But why him?" Green asked. "Why is a gang that's interested in Pokémon trafficking going after gym leaders."

"The same reason why Team Rocket is still around even though Giovanni is dead," Forrest said with a shrug. "Everyone is trying to find the last Conduit."

* * *

After registering the trio to their roster and waving goodbye, Forrest told the Gym Guide to take the rest of the night off. When he had healed his Geodudes from their battle, Forrest returned back to his miniature mountain for his daily meditation.

A few moments later, there was a blast at the door. Forrest remained still, surrounded by his beloved rock Pokémon as a handful of young men in women with red hair, fitted-suits and sunglasses bursted into the gym. In their hands they held Poké Balls and on their suits they wore the letter "F" proudly.

"Finally," Forrest said, his eyes still closed as the Geodudes' orbit around him quicken. "I thought you guys would never show up."


	10. Galactic Boss Cyrus

Two Galactic Grunts huffed as they lead their newly found prisoner into their Veilstone City headquarters. N looked bored as he raised an eyebrow at the large, colorful office building before them. It was easily the tallest building in the city, with the Galactic logo displayed on top.

"Isn't it counterproductive to have such a flamboyant building as your secret base?" he asked, and was ignored as the men forcefully walked through the double doors.

Once in the lobby, a fleet of nearly fifteen grunts lead in the tall green-haired teenager towards a tall elevator, handcuffing him and taking his black cap in the process. The internment part didn't seem to bother N as much as these grubby little kids from Sinnoh taking his hat. When they had reached for the Poké Balls on his belt, N's calm demeter turned into a furious snarl and growl. The grunts found it better for everyone if they just handcuffed him and called it a day.

They reached the top floor of the elevator with a light ping of a bell, and the doors opened to reveal a short hallway leading to tall double-doors with the Galactic symbol, Cyrus's office. The grunts lead N into the room, sitting him down forcefully into an armchair across from Cyrus' desk. With a snap, the Galactic leader dismissed his goons, his icy blue glare staring intensely at N.

"I'm not the type of man who does pleasantries," Cyrus growled. "So tell me what the hell you're doing in Sinnoh, brat."

"I have a message from my father," N said, his voice even and monotone.

"From Ghetsis?" the blue haired man's eyes narrowed. "I've already spoken to him about the situation with the hunt. My men are zeroing in on a target who we believe is-"

"That won't be necessary." N interrupted. "I've actually come to inform you that the efforts of Team Galactic are no longer needed."

"No longer needed?" Cyrus echoed. "That's impossible! Our intel has the last Conduit located in-"

"Your intel is wrong, Cyrus," the green haired boy interrupted again.

The older man sat in heavy silence, brows forever furrowed as his hands folded in front of his face like a mask.

"I am not a fool, child," he said finally. "If that is the extent of your message then I know Ghetsis didn't send you here to shake hands and walk happily into the sunset. What is it that you want?"

"For Team Galatic to be merged within Team Plasma," N said simply. "Now that we've found the final Conduit, not even the most powerful network of organized crime in Sinnoh can compete with us. You, Cyrus, will join the ranks of the Plasma Admins and your men will suffer nothing more than a change in uniform. Sounds like a much less sticker situation than it could be, yes?"

"Heh," Cyrus scoffed, leaning back in his chair as his face twisted into a menacing grin. "Your words are too flimsy to even hold water, brat. Do you think I do not know of what happened to the other leaders you've dealt with? The blood of Archie, Maxie and Lysandre are not on my hands, and you'd be damned if I ever allow someone as ridiculous as Team Plasma attempt a coup of my team."

"Is that a rejection of our offer?" N asked, still even-toned.

"No," Cyrus said as he reached below his desk to press a button. "This is"

After a few moment, Cyrus noted that nothing happened. He pressed the button repeatedly, harder each time until it appeared that his finger may break. Finally, he smashed the button under his desk with his fist in frustration, turning to the boy with a snarl.

"Where are my Admins?" he growled. "What have you done with Mars, Jupiter and Saturn?!"

A loud zip noise erupted in the room and within a flash, the Shadow Triad appeared, each man holding a corpse of a deceased Galactic Administrator. They dropped the bodies of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in front of Cyrus' desk. Their leader, flabbergasted, looked as if he was going to be sick.

"You...you monsters!" he managed, raising up from his chair. "Why?!"

N remained expressionless as one of the Shadow Triad members freed him of his bindings. The tall young man stood, rubbing his wrists before turning to Cyrus.

"Because I had a feeling you were going to refuse," he said.

"Cocky, Plasma scum!" Cyrus growled, and reached to his belt for a Poké Ball. He felt nothing by leather, and looked over his shoulder to see the Shadow Triad holding the red and white casings.

"Face it, Cyrus, you lost this war before it even began," N said with a shrug. "We found the final Conduit and once they are eliminated, there will be no stopping Plasma. You would've been smart to take the offer that was presented to you."

"Never!" the older man said, throwing a punch at one of the Shadow Triad. He was too slow however, as the masked man countered his attack and locked him in a headlock.

N walked towards the man, making a show of stepping over the corpses of the fallen Galactic Admins.

"You know, Cyrus, this is a great big beautiful world that's constantly being dirtied by people using Pokemon as weapons," N said, leaning across the desk so he was face-to-face with the Galactic Leader. "People like you."

Cyrus remained silent, using any power he had in hopes of breaking out from the Triad's grip.

"Now, before we end our meeting is there anything else you'd like to add, Cyrus?"

"Yeah," he grunted, "Go to hell."

* * *

N walked out of the office with a yawn, never a fan of being his father's errand boy. Behind him stood the Shadow Triad, and though their faces were covered N could feel their giddiness after their freshly killed prey.

How trivial.

"Hold it!"

N turned to see a group of Galactic grunts storming the stairs, their Poké Balls out threateningly.

"Don't move, prisoner!" called another grunt. "Where is Leader Cyrus?!"

N smiled, "You cut right to the chase, huh?"

The grunt grew angry, throwing his Pokeball to unleash his Crobat.

"Crobat, fury swipes!"

"Fool," N sighed closing his eyes before touching a Poké Ball lightly and with a wave of his hand the Crobat froze, mid-attack. The rest of the grunts watched in horror as N opened his eyes to reveal...nothing. Just whites. "Pokémon being used for violence is a disgusting trait of human scum, though I'll never deny a Pokémon's inner wishes to take back its freedom from its captor."

N snapped his fingers and within an instant the Grunt was annihilated by the Crobat's hyper beam, leaving nothing but dust in its wake. The Crobat slowly flew up to the N's side, leaving the rest of Grunts frozen with fear in the hall.

"Cyrus is dead, and so is Team Galactic," called N. "If using Pokémon as tools for destruction is your only ambition in life, then you too shall suffer the same fate. However, if power and a new world if what you seek, then join me in bringing in a new world order with the power of Team Plasma."

The Grunts remained still, some turning to others in the group for reassurance. From the back, a woman called out, "Why should we trust you? Who even are you?"

N blinked twice before doubling over in childish laughter, at his side the Crobat's smile widened.

"Who am I?" he echoed, before rising up to his feet with a smile. "I am N, the King of Team Plasma."

Gasped and whispered erupted from the group of Grunts, with some going as far as the kneel before their new leader. N's smiled intensified.

"Now would someone please be a dear and give me back my hat."


	11. Mt. Moon

Red felt a chill go up his spin as he tossed and turned in his sleeping bag. He felt cold and dreary, and the fact that they were spending another night in Mt. Moon didn't make matters better. His eyes wandered over to Pichu who was curled up into his hat like always, snoring softly.

Unlike in Viridian Forest, Squirtle was in his element against rock-types and Pichu made quick work of all the Zubats that appeared every two steps. After only the first day the mountain Squirtle had evolved into Wartortle, as Green and Blue's starters did the same. Their teams had grown as well, with Blue catching a Jigglypuff on Route 3 and Green striking gold by catching the one Golbat in an otherwise Zubat filled Mt. Moon. Red also expanded his team, catching himself a wild Oddish in hopes of countering Wartortle's weakness against grass-types.

Though he felt good about himself as a trainer, Red knew deep down his lack of sleep wasn't because of the Pokémon on his belt, but his traveling companions.

Well, one of them at least.

Red had hoped that after their spat during their battle with Forrest, him and Blue could possibly go back to being friends. He had tired in his own way, like congratulating her when she caught her Jigglypuff (Red knew it had been one of her favorite Pokémon since childhood) but was brushed off with a simple smile and nod. Often, she would elect to make small-talk with Green or wander off camp to train her Pokémon instead of even making eye-contact with him.

Red felt more confused than ever, especially since SHE had been the one to kiss HIM. He was just trying to act normal, but she was the one who had acting like he had done something terrible. Did she not hear him apologize at the Pewter Museum? Did she not realized he kissed her back, even if that still weirded Red out he wasn't stupid enough to not realize that meant something.

With a huff, he turned to his side to see Green's emerald eyes staring at him, piercing through the darkness.

"ACK!" Red shrieked, and was instantly shushed by his friend. "Don't shush me, jerk! You're the one creeping!"

"I'm not creeping," Green said in a low voice. "I'm trying to sleep but you keep squirming like a Caterpie over there and that's making it difficult."

"Oh, sorry," Red said softly, "I've just...I have a lot on my mind."

Green nodded, turning on his back to stare up at the cave. The ceiling was so high it felt like consistent night without the aide of Charmeleon's tail to light the way.

"Hey," he said, his eyes still on the ceiling. "Wanna see something cool?"

Red nodded, and crawled out of his bag slowly in hopes of not waking up the still sleeping Blue. Even in a dimly lit cave in the middle off nowhere, she wasn't exactly a morning person. As Green slipped on his sneakers, Red turned to the tiny electric-type still sleeping in his hat.

"Hey," he whispered, nuzzling Pichu's cheek with his finger gently. Sluggishly, the tiny Pokémon woke up, his black eyes still heavy from sleep. "Sorry buddy, but Green and I are going for a walk. Can you make sure Blue is okay while we're gone?"

Pichu nodded, saluting his trainer with a tiny paw before curling back into his hat. Red ran a hand through his hair, he guessed one night without his hat wouldn't kill him.

"Yo, c'mon," said Green, beckoning his friend over with a hand.

Red followed, trying not to stumble and fall on his face as Green led them up the side of the cave to a tiny crack at the edge of the wall. Green reached up, jiggled a loose rock and revealed a secret path to...somewhere? Red wasn't sure where Green was leading him, but he felt the cool breeze of outside air and that alone was enough to get him climbing. After a few pulls up and squeezing through small spaces, Red and Green found themselves at the edge of a cliff, outside the mountain's rocky walls and cavernous paths. From the corner of his eye, Red saw Green point upwards and his eyes followed the motion. Above them shined a full-moon, looking as big and bright as ever.

"I guess they don't call this place Mt. Moon for nothing," Red said, stretching his back. "I guess we're pretty close to the exit then, huh?"

"Yeah," Green said with a nod, taking a seat on the ground and pointing somewhere off in the distance. "Right there is Route 4, which leads directly to Cerulean City. Are you excited to see your mom again?"

"I suppose," Red said, taking a seat next to his best friend. "I'm even more excited to see her face when I shock the hell out of her Pokémon with Pichu."

Green shook his head with a smile at his friend's bizarre priorities before looking up at the moon.

"Hey," he said. "Do you remember when our dads would take us for rides on their Pokémon and show us all of Kanto and Johto?"

"Yeah," Red laughed. "And one time your mom caught us and intercepted us on her Skarmory and gave your dad an earful about being irresponsible. Luckily, my mom doesn't have any flying-"

Red looked over to see his friend had grown silent, his chin resting in his hands, covering his mouth.

"...type," Red finished, before squirming in his seat on the ground. "Sorry, dude…"

"It's alright," Green said, his voice as soft as ever. "I always wonder if there'll ever be a time when I won't miss her. It's been twelve years and it still hurts like the day dad came home and told me."

"I mean, at least you know she's...well, gone." Red said, his voice sympathetic. "I don't even know if my dad is alive or dead. Maybe he's out there right now, just screwing around without a care in the world. I don't know. How could I?"

"Yeah," Green said, softly. "Or maybe he's out there trying to find my dad...speaking of which."

Green reached into his pocket, pulling out his Pokégear and flicking to the Live Caster to show the dark-haired teen the news headline.

_Pewter City Gym Leader Defeats Mysterious Red-Suited Foes_

_Criminals Flee Before Police Make Arrest_

Red looked at his friend and in the darkness of the night couldn't read the expression on his face. He figured it was probably better that way.

"Anyway," Green said, putting his Pokégear back with a long sigh. "As unbelievable as this may sound, I didn't drag you out here to talk about how dysfunctional our families are."

"You don't say?" Red said with a smile.

"There's something I need to talk with you about," Green began, turning to make eye-contact with Red. It was a strange, intense look. "About certain feelings…"

Red felt his stomach drop.

"Holy crap," he said. "Are you coming out to me?"

"Between you and-WHAT?" Green's tone changed with a scream, but Red was already off to the races.

"Oh my god," he gasped, his hands covering his face. "I mean, I always kinda had a feeling that you were a little...interested in that team. But I never really considered it, but I guess it makes sense. It's not like you've ever showed any interest in girls and every time one of them would come up to us you would completely space!"

"R-R-Red," Green stammered, his face growing redder by the second.

"Oh man, oh man," Red continued, completely ignoring his friend. "Okay, I mean...wow. No, this is a big moment for you and I'm really happy that you picked me to share this with and I just want you to know that I'm here for you!"

The red that was building up in Green's face completely drained with Red took his hands into his own, staring at him with completely sincerity.

"It's going to be okay," Red said, as brown eyes met emerald. "Your feelings aren't  _wrong_ , it gets better!"

"Let go on my hands, Red." Green managed, between gritted teeth. "Before I rip yours off your arms."

"Unless, you were about to confess your love for me-OWW!" Red whined as Green's hands overtook his and trapped them in a bone crushing grip.

"I am  _not_  coming out because I am  _not_  gay," Green said, his eyes piercing. "And even if I was, the last person I would go for is an idiot like you."

"Geez, alright, alright" Red said, pulling away his hands with a pout. "I wouldn't want to date you either, since you're obviously an abusive prick."

Red flexed his hands a few times while Green took a deep breath, before mumbling something rude underneath it. Red didn't seem to notice though, too busy trying to gain the feeling back in his hands.

"Look, I was talking about you and Blue, okay?" Green said, steamrolling his friend with the truth. "I know something happened between you guys. Did you two make out when I wasn't looking?"

"Wh-what?" Red gaped like a fish out of water, "What makes you think we kissed?"

"It was a shot in the dark, but I'm assuming I'm right by the way you're reacting," Green pointed, and Red knew he was done. "So out with it."

Red exhaled loudly, recounting the entire ordeal from the Pewter Museum, including the part where they sat on opposite benches in tense, heavy silence. When he was finished, Red felt as if he had been talking for hours, and surprising it felt good to get it all off his chest. He wasn't good with feelings.

"So, in short, Blue kissed you and you kissed her back but now things are weird because you kissed?" Green said, as if Red's ramblings didn't suffice.

"Pretty much," the dark-haired boy said with a shrug. "It's just so...awkward."

"Why?"

"Because we kissed! It's weird now!" Red said shooting the brunette a look. It didn't seem to penetrate as Green rose an eyebrow. "It's weird when friends kiss, Green!"

"Yeah, unless they're friends who've had suppressed feelings for each other for years," Green quipped.

Red crossed his legs, pouting and turning away from his friend. Under his breath he mumbled something but it didn't seem like Green cared.

"Look, I'm not gonna sit here and pretend I have any idea what goes through that head of yours," Green continued. "But I think if you didn't have feelings for her you'd feel more upset than awkward."

Red remained silent, taking a stone in his hand and throwing it off the cliff. He wondered if he could just roll away from his problems like the rock.

"Also, if you don't make a move, someone else will."

That got his attention.

Red turned, meeting Green's eyes fiercely, "What do you mean  _someone_  else?"

"She's a smart, funny and pretty girl," Green said with a shrug. Red recognized the look in his friend's green eyes, it was the same look he would give when issuing Red a challenge when they were kids. Back then it was over who could run the furthest or eat the most cookies, but now it was personal. "You even said I get too flustered by girls, maybe if I try my chance with Blue she can help me out. I mean, if you're not interested."

Red scowled at Green who simply sent him a wide, toothy grin. There was something annoying about the Oak men and their smilies. Regardless of how obnoxious Green was being about it, Red knew what he had to do.

"Now I kinda wish you dragged me out here to come out to me," Red said, rising to his feet and swatting the dirt from his jeans.

"Yeah, you  _would_  wish that," Green said, throwing an arm over his best friend's shoulder as they made their way back into the cave. Red felt heart pound as they walked back to the campsite, where his problems lay nestled inside a warm sleeping bag.

* * *

Red was right about being close to the exit of Mt. Moon as the trio finally exited the dark path to sunny, fresh air of Route 4. In the distance, Cerulean City crept closer and closer into view.

"I'm excited to see Gran again," Blue said with a smile as Charmeleon walked alongside her like a bodyguard. Red couldn't know for sure, but he could swear he felt a hostile aura coming from the fire-type ever since Pewter City. "She's going to be so impressed by the Pokémon I've caught."

Too busy in her own thoughts, Blue didn't notice that the two boys to her side were currently exchanging glares and signs like football players calling a play. After minutes of flailing around, Green took matters into his own hands, which Red less than appreciated.

"Oh wow, look at that!" Green said, too enthusiastically to sound even remotely natural. "An Oran Berry tree! Hey, Charmeleon wanna get some berries with me?"

At the sound of berries, the Charmeleon instantly perked and Red felt Pichu peek from beneath his hat, jumping from his head to Green's shoulder at the promise of berries.

"Okay, we'll be over there," Green said, thumbing a tree in the distance. "You guys just stand there alone."

Red stared deadpan as Green hurried over to the tree, leaving him alone with the girl who spent the past few days avoiding him like the plague.

"Well,  _that_  was obvious," she said, turning to Red who nearly jumped at the direct interaction. How long had it been since Blue talked to him without it being an order or a scold?

"I mean, not that I'm surprised," she continued, kicking dirt around with her sneaker. "We have been acting pretty weird, huh?"

"Yeah," Red felt his tongue swell up, making forming a sentence seem impossible.

They stood in silence for what was probably only seconds but to Red felt like hours. Maybe days...months?

No, it was only seconds. He decided to focus on Blue, who was currently fiddling with her hat, unable to form words either.

Weren't they best friends before? What insane alternate-reality did Red enter when he went into that Clefairy exhibit that brought him into this crazy world where he couldn't even talk to Blue, the girl who basically lived at his house for over a decade?

Blue sighed, letting go of her hat to look up at Red. Her blue eyes were sparkling in the sunlight and Red felt his heart pound faster as his focus locked on her pink lips. For the life of him he could only think of how nice it felt to kiss her and how badly he wanted to do it again.

"Listen, I just wanted let you know something," she said finally, and Red was even more mesmerized by her rosey lips as they shaped around every syllable.

Red felt his heart jump into his throat as his rib cage filled with a familiar flutter. He knew that look! He saw it a million times on those sappy soap operas his aunts always watched - Blue was about to confess to him!

With that out of the way, all he had to do was let her know he returned her feelings, which was a lot easier than him confessing first. It was perfect!

"I'm...I'm…"

Here it comes!

"I'm sorry for the other day," she finished and Red felt both his heart and stomach drop to his feet.

Wait, sorry?

That couldn't be right, sorry wasn't a confessional word. That's what the girls on the soap operas would say to the guys they weren't into. To the guys they didn't kiss in the sparkly, dark museum exhibit! The fluttering in his ribs turned into a punch in the gut and Red no longer felt like he had enough air in his lungs to breathe.

"You're sorry?" Red echoed, as it was all he could muster with his tongue growing three sizes too large for his mouth. He felt like a human Lickitung.

"Yeah," she said, her cheeks flushed so adorably. "I got a little over-emotional and then things kinda spiraled out of control there. On top of that I treated you like you did something wrong and you didn't, and for that I'm sorry. The whole thing was just a giant clusterfunk and I just shouldn't have kissed you at all."

Red's mind went blank.

"Oh," he managed, but didn't have time to try to formulate a sentence as Blue's face quickly changed from an awkward flush to complete disbelief and shock.

"OH MY GOD!" she screamed, covering her face with her hands, her eye's wide and fixated on something behind Red. Quickly, he looked over his shoulder to see a black blimp slowly crashing into the Cerulean Gym in the distance in a fiery mess.

On it was a large red **R**.


	12. Team Rocket

Gary Oak could barely see in front of him, his eyes blurry from the black eye he sustained during his latest altercation with the guards. Though that was mostly his fault for talking back, but really he was a smart enough man to know that pretty much every member of Team Rocket wanted his head on a silver platter at this point. He had taken way too many of them down in his younger days.

The guards pushed him through the hallway, passing several other cells of notable Pokémon trainers, including Cedric Juniper, an old colleague of his grandfather's from Unova. Gary turned away, not really interested in feeling more terrible about the situation they all found themselves in. One of the guards ran up ahead, opening a sliding door which led to a room that by now had become quite familiar: the interrogation room.

"Such a gentleman," he quipped with a smirk at the guard as he passed.

He was pushed into the linoleum chair forcefully, his shackles tied slightly tighter than usually to the back of the chair due to his little joke, or maybe not. The Rockets  _really_  weren't a big fan of his. After he was secure, the guards turned to leave.

"You're not even going to offer me water?" he said, faking shock. "Way to be rude to your guest, fellas."

The same guard from the door turned angrily, his fist raised. Gary braced for impact, but it never came.

"Stop!" came a voice, and Gary turned to see that it was Cassidy, the blonde leader of the team. Her eyes narrowed as she turned from Gary to the Grunt. "Do not let this imbecile make a fool of you."

The guard nodded, saluting his superiors before following his teammates out, slamming the door behind them. Gary let out a long whistle.

"Well, well, well," he said, leaning back in his chair with his feet. "Looky here, they brought in Mama Bear to ruffle me up this time!"

"Can it, Oak," Cassidy spat, sitting opposite of him at the small table. In her hands she held a fat manilla folder with a red "Classified" label stamped on top, a prop that Gary was sure only existed in spy movies. "I have some important questions that I need to go over with you."

"Are they any different than what your little lapdog Butch has been asking me for the last two weeks?" Gary raised an eyebrow. "By the way, saw the ring. Congrats on becoming the world's most obvious beard."

"Now, now, don't be angry just because my Butchy killed your wife," Cassidy smiled venomously. "And let's be fair here, your Arcanine did rip off his arm. How's the old saying go, a wife for an arm makes the whole world more alarmed?"

Gary felt his entire body tense as Cassidy let out a shrill laugh, taking hold of the folder and tapping it on the table to neaten its contents. His blood boiled with every rap against the plastic surface.

"Ah yes," she said, placing the folder back on the table. "It seems that Olivine City still hasn't found a new gym leader worthy of her post since we brutally murdered her at the lighthouse, eh? Ironically they did name it after her, but unfortunately we've been far too busy to make time out to go and visit the Jasmine Oak lighthouse."

"SHUT UP!" Gary roared, feeling his body strain against his holdings and Cassidy let out another laugh.

"There's nothing I love more about my job than tormenting people I hate," she smiled. "But let's get down to business, shall we? As you may know there's been a bit of movements within the world of For-Profit Pokémon Excursions. "

"That's a very PR friendly way of saying Pokémon Crime Syndicates," Gary said, earning himself a glare as Cassidy continued.

"This changing landscape has recently left Team Rocket at a severe disadvantage to our competition, though we do have one asset they do not have. Do you know what that is?"

Gary frowned, remaining silent but Cassidy didn't wait for his answer anyway.

"That's right," she said, taking the folder and pushing it towards him. Her perfectly manicured finger opened the file, pointing to fuzzy picture of a teenage girl with long brown-hair talking to a tall boy with green-hair in a black cap. "The last Conduit."

Cassidy threw a Poké Ball in the air, revealing a Tangrowth.

"Seriously?" Gary said as he squinted, staring at the fuzzy photo. "You guys are worth billions but you can't even afford a decent photographer?"

He looked up to see Cassidy had taken a seat on the table and was mere centimeters from his face. Behind him, Tangrowth took a stance, its long arms extended.

"What ar-ACK!" Gary gaged as Tangrowth's vine-like arms found their way around his neck.

"She was seen with your son, Oak," Cassidy said, sternly. "Now tell me, who is she?"

Gary remained silent, gasping for air when Cassidy would make Tangrowth release him only to have the Pokémon's grip return a second later. Even in his oxygen reduced mind, Gary knew she needed him alive, but that didn't mean she wouldn't come as close to killing him as possible.

"Well, if you're not going to talk," she said with a snap as Tangrowth released him again with a gasp and series of coughing. "Then I guess I'll have to go get your son instead since they seem so close."

"Go to hell!" Gary choked, as Tangrowth's vines extended again. This time taking a hold of his arms in a bone-crushing grip.

There was a flurry of steps at the door and Gary was relieved of Tangrowth's attacks when the Grunts from earlier reappeared at the door. His head hit the table hard as his body collapsed in on itself.

"Leader Cassidy, sorry to interrupt," said one of the guards eying Gary. "But the attack on Cerulean City has commenced."

Though his body in pain, at the sound of the city name he looked up at Cassidy who had returned the Tangrowth to its Poké Ball and was currently taking back her folder.

"Excellent," she smiled, turning to Gary to tap him affectionately on his stubble-ridden cheek. "Lovely chat, but I have bigger fish to fry. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Cassidy made her way out of the room, turning to the guards, "You can bring him back to his cell now, but make sure to make it unpleasant."

* * *

Red's chest was on fire.

Running as fast as his legs could go, for the first time in his life he was grateful for his thin frame as it allowed him the ability to barrel through the checkpoint leading into Cerulean City. Weaving between guards who attempted to stop him, he would deal with that when his family wasn't in danger, but right now he had bigger worries than showing some overpaid mall cop his Pokédex. Extending his long arms to support him, Red jumped a turnstile and pushed forward into the city where he was greeted by the scene of the only home he ever knew burning to the ground.

He felt a hand on his back, and Red turned to see Blue. Her cheeks were flushed from running.

"I'm gonna find Gran," she said, and Red nodded before turning to Green

"Go with her," he found himself ordering. He wasn't sure when he became the leader of their posse, but if there was any time for his bossy-genes to show themselves it was now. Green nodded and followed the long haired girl down the road.

Volunteers from the local fire department were already on the scene and Red threw Wartortle ball into the air and the water-type appeared in a flash of white light. Red didn't waste a moment and immediately instructed his starter to assist in efforts. After soaking himself in Wartortle's spray, Red ran into the building to find his aunts and mother.

The gym was hot and around him Red's senses were flooded with the smell of smoke, the heat the fire and the visuals of the trainers and their water-types attempting to extinguish the flames. He lifted his shirt to cover his face, but the smoke burned his eyes. Under his hat, he felt Pichu's steady pulses of electricity run through his body.

"You okay up there, buddy?" he said and he felt the pulses strengthen in affirmation.

Pushing against evacuating trainers and Pokémon, Red eventually found his aunts leading the evacuation efforts. When he reached the main pool, Daisy was the first of his family he saw and her face twisted in anger the second she saw him.

"Red!" she demanded, her usual tone stiffened as a her two sisters helped a couple of trainers carrying final crates of Pokémon out the Gym. "What the hell are you doing here?

"I'm here to help," Red said, his voice muffled by his shirt. "Where's mom?"

"Are you freaking crazy?" Daisy ignored him, taking her nephew by the shoulders. "You need to get out of here!"

There was a crash as the wall that connected the living quarters to the Gym's main pool crumbled, revealing Misty on the back of her prized Gyarados fighting what appeared to be a handful of men dressed in dark uniforms. Red recognized the R on their chests to stand for Team Rocket.

"Gyarados, hyper beam!" she ordered and the large dragon-type Pokémon opened its mouth wide, releasing a bright beam of energy. The attack burst through the wall, leaving only three trainers standing with their Scizor, Ursaring and Haxorus respectively.

"Mom!" Red called, running towards his mother. The crashed wall allowed for ventilation and most of the smoke from the blimp crash traveled out of the crater in puffs of dark clouds.

"R-Red?" Misty stammered as her son ran towards her. "NO! STAY BACK!"

Red skidded a stop as the three grunts switched their attention from Misty to the teen. With a smile, one of the black-cladded goons pointed to the boy.

"Ursaring!" she called. "Quick attack!"

"Gyarados, reflect!" Misty called desperately and the water-type's eyes glowed as a reflective shield appeared before Red. The Ursaring hit the shield headfirst, sending it flying into his trainer and both tumbling into the pool. Red turned to see his mother, her viridian eyes not filled with the usual fire but...fear?

"Daisy!" she turned to her older sister who nodded and Red felt her grab his arm in attempt to get him out of the rapidly decaying building. Red overpowered her, however, and slid out of her grasp like butter.

"Sorry, Aunt Daisy," he said, maneuvering out of her grip and running to his mother's side. Instantly, Daisy felt that she was missing one of her Poké Balls.

"Red!" she called. "Get back here!"

Red skidded in front of his mother, throwing the Poké Ball into the air to reveal Dewgong. Though only having one badge, Dewgong recognized Red and squealed in delight, seemingly unaware of the dire situation at hand.

"Dewgong, hit Haxorus with your ice-beam attack!" he ordered as the Pokémon happily complied. The Haxorus was down a second later, taking a super-effective attack that hit both him and his trainer. Red turned to his mother, "Mom, let me help you!"

"Red, please you don't understand what you're getting yourself in-" she stopped when she saw the final grunt's Scizor rushing towards her son. "Gyarados!"

The water-type was too slow, however, as the Scizor was instead stopped by a powerful flamethrower attack. Turning to the crashed wall, Red saw Blue and Green standing, with Charmeleon and Ivysaur at their sides. Misty looked less than pleased as Green ordered Ivysaur's vine whip to throw Scizor's trainer out of the gym.

"This isn't a game, Red!" she yelled, turning to her son. "Why are you being so stubborn?!"

"Because I'm  _your_  son," he shot back as Green and Blue ran their side of the Gym.

"Sorry we're late," Green said as Blue ordered Charmander to throw another flamethrower attack at Scizor. "We got Blue's Grandmother to the Pokémon Center. Is this the last of them?"

"No…" Misty said, as Blue finished off the Scizor. "It's not."

"What do you mean?" Red asked as half the lights of the main gym went out.

"Daisy!" Misty yelled, turning to her older sister. "Get out of here, you don't have any Pokémon!"

"But what about-"

"Forget about us," Misty said, eyeing her son and his friends. "Make sure everyone is out and that the wreckage isn't still burning."

Daisy nodded and exited the gym, climbing over piles of still smoldering debris. Soon there was a loud clapping noise and Misty turned to Red as Gyarados circled around them like a snake.

"Stay close," she said in a soft voice and two figures emerged from the darkness.

In the light, Cassidy's blonde hair glowed like an aura, her lipstick red smile pulled into a smirk as she continued to clap her hands in applause. Next to her was a man who Misty recognized as her partner Butch, who like Cassidy looked the same asides from his green hair was now slicked back with gel and he was missing his right arm.

"Why hello there, Misty-kins," Cassidy said with a smile. "Gosh, you really let the place go didn't you?"

"Yeah a little blimp with  _your_  insignia dropped in," Misty shot back and Red felt a bit of relief at the return of his mother's fire. "Hard to prepare for a houseguest who destroy half you gym, huh?"

"Still as rude as ever, brat," Butch called, his hand pulling the Poké Ball on his belt and within seconds a Tentacruel landed in the large pool. Zeroing in on a target, its tentacles reached over Gyarados heading straight for the trio. Misty and Red turned to see Green jump in front of Blue, getting caught and reeled back towards the pool.

"GREEN!" Red screamed as the Tentacruel held the teen in the air above the pool.

"What can I say?" Butch said with a devilish grin. "I like to kill Oaks."

"Oh Butchy," Cassidy laughed. "You can't have all the fun. I have a little surprise, too!"

Pulling a ball from her waist, an Arcanine appeared in a flash of white light with a roar, "Look familiar, kiddo?"

"Does that mean…" Green managed, looking at his father's Pokémon. "No…"

Green screamed in pain as Tentacruel's grip intensified around his body, and Red turned to the sea lion Pokémon. From his hat, Red felt the pulses from Pichu grew stronger. He felt like a live-wire, but Red knew better than to send the tiny mouse into battle.

"Get him out of there," Red called, pointing at Green. "Aurora beam!"

Dewgong's horn began to glow as Butch snapped his fingers and a the Tentacruel's reared back, shooting a fury of small poison stinger from it's horn. Dewgong avoided the attack, but Misty screamed as the stingers missed its desired target and headed straight for her son. Red closed his eyes, preparing himself for an impact that never came. Instead, he opened his eyes to see the Blue had flung herself onto him, clinging to him in a tight embrace, the poisoned stingers hitting her in the back.

"Blue…" Red managed as the girl looked up at him, her blue eyes watering with tears.

"Figured I...owed you one," she managed before losing her consciousness.

Red collapsed with her on the floor, gathering her up against his chest. He tried not to panic as his brain attempted to comprehend the situation. Before him, he watched as his mother's Gyarados fought against the Tentacruel, trying to free Green from its clutches. Ivysaur and Charmeleon stood before the two teens, knowing better than to get in the way of the giant water-type.

Red felt the electricity pounding through his body.

In his arms, Blue stirred and Red's heart jumped into his throat as she opened her eyes, appearing as if she wasn't just shot up with enough poison to take down a Kangaskhan. The only evidence left of her attack were some ripped spots on the back of her shirt. The two teens exchanged looks, both confused as hell before Blue took notice of something else.

"Red!" she gasped. "Your hand!"

"What," he said, looking down to see that his hand was currently sparkling bits of electricity. "What the hell…"

There was a crash and the teens looked up to see that Arcanine and Tentacruel had defeated Gyarados, sending its trainer tumbling towards the floor. Red called out to his mother as Blue and him scurried to their feet, but Misty stopped them with her hand.

"N-no," she managed, slowly raising to her feet. "I...I know what they want."

Cassidy raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you do now?"

"Yeah," Misty said, slowly walking towards the blonde. "You want me, right? Then leave these kids alone...they didn't ask for this war. Let the boy go and I will come with you, peacefully."

"No!" Red called, and his mother shot him a look that finally silenced him before turning back to the Rocket Leaders.

"I mean it," the redhead said, her arms in the air. "I promise."

Seeming to like this arrangement, Butch snapped his fingers and in an instant Tentacruel had dropped Green on the side of the pool. Desperately, Blue ran to her fallen friend, gathering him up in her arms.

Red stood still as his mother walked towards her captors, unable to move something inside himself was winding tighter and tighter. Like a spring, and the electricity from Pichu was rushing through him so intensely that he heard his heart beat in his ears. Everyone appeared to be moving in slow motion, as Cassidy laugh turned to a gasp as she turned and saw Blue.

"That girl…" the blonde hissed, obviously throwing her end of the bargain out the window. Charmeleon hurried to his trainer's side, but Red saw everything before it happened.

Charmeleon's failed attack, Cassidy's capture of Blue, Butch ordering his Tentacruel to attack his mother...everything played before him like someone had opened a book to the last page and shown him.

"PICHU PI!" called the tiny Pokémon from under his hat and Red exploded like a supernova.

Every bit of electricity that was coursing through him erupted from his body like a dormant volcano, and Red felt the power leave his body, draining him of everything before going dark. As if a fuse had blown in his mind or a power outage.

Did he just...die?

His mind worked enough for him to feel himself be thrown into the pool - he guessed one of the Pokémon got a hold of him. He heard Blue scream his name and felt the roar of the water as something else splashed around him. He saw the beautiful blue sky from the destroyed roof of the gym, filtered by the waves of water that consumed him - then came a hand, ripping him out of the pool like a claw machine. As Red flickered between consciousness, he heard more than he saw - the roaring voices of both Pokémon and humans, people calling his name, and the crumbling of concrete. When his eyes worked again, he saw the hatted figure of a man riding a Charizard, with what looked like a Pikachu on his shoulder.

Then everything went dark.


	13. Mt. Silver

Misty kept her head high as she was led through the winding hallways of the Rocket interment building. Young grunts hooted and hollered as she passed them, others high-fived or applauded the successful efforts of their leaders.

"How's it feel to have your wings clipped, Queen Bee?" called a young, female grunt who threw her empty coffee cup at Misty as she passed. The redhead dodged the cup easily, and continued walking until she was lead to the hallway of cells holding her fellow Kanto leaders.

"Oh shit," came the voice that Misty instantly recognized as Lt. Surge. His usually spiky-blonde hair had grown saggy and mangled during his capture. "They got you, kid?"

"It is all over," came the soft voice of Janine from the same cell, though her figure sat in the back, cloaked in darkness.

Misty looked away as her guards led her to the cell on the other side of the hall. With the swipe of a card key, the large wall of bars shifted and Misty was pushed into the cell. The bars and lock closed loudly as the guards left the hall.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Ketchum," broke the voice of the figure sitting in the corner and Misty almost sighed in relief when she recognized the voice of Gary Oak's.

"Thank god," she said, making her way to the man who was too clouded in darkness to fully see. "I was worried when I didn't see you in the other cells."

"Heh, they're gonna need to do more than rough me up to get rid of me," Gary said, leaning into the tiny bit of light the cell provided. Misty gasped when she saw him, her hands covering her mouth. "Yes, I know, not my best hair day."

"Oh my god, Gary," she said, sitting next to her old friend and lightly running her fingers over his black eyes, bruised neck and various other injuries. "What the hell did they do to you?"

"Everything but kill me," he attempted to laugh but it quickly turned to a cough.

"He also talked back," came Surge's voice from across the room. "A lot."

"How unsurprising," Misty frowned and the brown-haired man smiled.

Gary readjusted his sitting situation to be a little less uncomfortable, stretching his battered limbs slowly.

"Enough talk about me," he said, leaning against the wall. "Tell me about the kids, Queen Bee. How's Green doing?"

"They're all as stubborn and stupid as we were," Misty sighed and noticed that Gary didn't even try to hide his pride. If he wasn't such a beaten mess she would've hit him, but instead she just ignored him. "They tried to help me defend the Cerulean Gym when the Rockets attacked."

"You got Rockets?" Gary said with an impressed whistle. "I got some Team Flare guys."

"Janine and I got those Aqua and Magma grunts," Surge called. "I heard from Birch in the cantine that those guys aren't around anymore, though. Same with Flare and Galactic."

"They're merging together with Plasma and killing their leaders," Gary said and Misty's face blanched. "Cassidy basically told me so during one of our little kumbayas. She's scared, though, and I think it's because Team Rocket is the only group that hasn't been overtaken by Plasma yet."

"Makes sense," Misty said, pulling her knees to her chest as she lean against the wall next to her husband's childhood friend. "Cassidy saw Blue."

Gary cursed burying his head in his hands, "Did they get the kids?"

"No," Misty said, resting her head on her knees. "He got to them first."

* * *

Red woke up on a bed and wondered for a moment he he actually had died.

His head pounded and the brightness of the room he was in wasn't helping. Sitting up, the sunlight hurt his eyes and he reached instinctively around the bed for his hat. He eventually found it at the end of the mattress, but was disappointed to see that Pichu was not curled inside it like usual.

There was a noise at the door and Red turned to see Daisy Oak enter the room.

"Oh," she said with a small smile. "You're awake."

Unlike her brother and grandfather who had chosen to become Pokémon Professors, Daisy used her caring nature to go into medicine for humans. She had her brown hair tucked behind her ears as her green-eyes read from a notebook she pulled from her white coat. Red felt his face warm as he realized he was only sitting in his boxers and hat. He had often fantasized about a similar situation between him and his best friend's aunt during long showers, but now felt really creepy and dirty even though she was a good 20 years his senior.

"Let me just take your blood pressure," she said, taking his arm and Red was absolutely sure that this was what was going to kill him. Not Team Rocket, or whatever it was that sent him into this state - but Daisy Oak touching his bare arm to take his blood pressure.

"Alright," she said with a smile as she backed away to stand at his bedside. "You seem to be alright, how do you feel?"

"I feel okay," Red said, keeping his sentence short incase he accidentally let on how incredible uncomfortable and confused he was that Daisy Oak was checking his blood pressure.

Stupid sexy Oaks.

"You've been out for two days, but it seems to be because your body was recovering from the shock of what happened in Cerulean City," she said, sticking her hands in her pockets with an impish grin. "Ha...shock. That was funny."

Red raised an eyebrow, having no idea what the hell she was talking about.

"Anyway, we'll talk more later," she said, turning to the door to leave.

"Wait, Daisy!" Red said and the brunette turned around quickly. "Um...sorry, but where am I?"

"Oh, silly me, I totally forgot to tell you," the Oak girl said, mockingly hitting herself on the head with her fist. "You're at Mt. Silver."

Mt. Silver?

"Oh looks like the cavalry is here," said Daisy as she left the door open. Without a second passing, the sounds of stampeding footsteps rumbled down the hall and towards Red's door, revealing Green, Blue and his Pokémon.

"He's up!" said Green with a smile, his arm held in a splint as Blue jumped to his bed, Wartortle, Oddish and Pichu behind her.

"W-wait!" called Red as Blue tackled him in a hug. "I'm not decent!"

"Oh shut up, loser!" Blue said, her grip around him tight. "We thought you were dead!"

"And by 'we' she means her," Green laughed, sitting at the end of the bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," Red said as Blue scooted back to allow Red's Pokémon to hug their trainer. "I mean, I got woken up by your foxy aunt, so that's a plus."

"Well, at least your brain didn't get anymore scrambled," Green sighed, rolling his eyes while Blue blushed. "Do you remember anything that happened?"

"Um…" Red said, scratching Pichu behind the ears as Wartortle and Oddish jumped under his blankets for a short nap. "I remember you getting caught by the Tentacruel and then Blue getting hurt...that's about it."

"Anything else?" Blue asked.

"Nope."

"Nothing even  _sparking_  a memory?" Green pushed and Red's brows furrowed.

"No, what is it?" he said, frowning. "What happened? And how did we get up on Mt. Silver?"

Blue and Green exchanged looks before turning back to Red, obviously uncomfortable.

"Listen, how about you get dressed and meet us downstairs?" Green said, sitting up from the bed. "We'll fill you in then."

Reluctantly, Red nodded as his Pokémon jumped from the bed, following his friends out the door. Before leaving Blue turned to him.

"Don't touch anything electric!"

"What?!"

" _Blue!_ " Green called and the girl quickly left closing the door behind her.

Red sighed, annoyed at this current situation before kicking his feet over the bed. He made his way to the end table that held a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. They weren't his, but he wasn't one to care about what kind of clothes he wore. After stepping into the jeans and pulling the shirt over his head, he reached for his cap to see that Pichu was sitting inside it. The tiny Pokémon had stayed behind.

"Hey, what's up?" Red smiled and the electric mouse smiled wickedly at his trainer. "Uhh, what's with the grin?"

Pichu shot a thunderbolt at his trainer, sending him stumbling back and over the bed frame. Sitting up, he pointed at the yellow mouse with a frown.

"What the hell was  _that_?!" he shouted, quickly stopping when he noticed the sparks spinning around his hand. "Woah..."

Happily, Pichu jumped across the room and onto the mattress with a bounce. Obviously finding this fun, Pichu continued to jump with gleeful squeaks. Red stared at his hands as the sparks of electricity flowed through him. Suddenly, he remembered the Cerulean Gym battle and the feeling of himself being sucked into darkness before exploding like a supernova.

"Is this...normal?" he asked the tiny electric-type who shrugged mid-air as it continued its bouncing.

Centering all the power to one hand, Red made his way to the window and shot a thunderbolt outwards, hitting a nearby tree with a loud crackle. Hit by the lightening, the tree disintegrated leaving nothing behind but ash around the crisp white snow.

"Holy shit!" he explained, as Pichu jumped around happily. Red felt his body tremble at the lack of energy, but picked up Pichu and shot out of the bedroom.

"Guys! Guys! Guys!" he shouted, his socks skidding along the wood floors as he spun around the corner. "Something weird is-"

He froze at the stop of the stairs, below him on the sofa sat Green and Blue and across from them an older man and blond haired girl. However, what made him freeze was the tall figure of a dark haired man talking to Daisy, his red hat covering his messy hair. The commotion by Red caused him to turn to the stairs, making eye contact with the boy. He smiled, his brown eyes deep, holding some unspecified sadness.

"Hey son," Ash Ketchum said, the Pikachu on his shoulder blinking. "Hope you're feeling better."


	14. Blue

"Way to be subtle!" Green scolded as Blue pouted and stuck her hands in the pockets of her sweater. While exploring the house earlier, she had found an old the pullover that had proven quite useful in the chilly, mountain cabin. At her feet, Red's Wartortle and Oddish followed her.

"Sorry," she said as they walked down the stairs to the sofa. "I just didn't want him to like, rub his socks on a rug and use the static electricity to go nuclear again."

Green rolled his eyes at the girl as he flopped on the sofa, Blue following suit. Across from them sat Blaine, the old Cinnabar Gym leader and a blonde girl around their age named Yellow. The blond was quiet, but Blue could tell she was naturally good with Pokémon, as Red's instantly jumped into her lap from the stairs. Adjacent, Green's Aunt Daisy was sitting at the kitchen table, going through a clipboard of everyone's medical notes.

"Good news, Green," said the boy's aunt. "Your arm isn't as bad as I thought. If you rest it for a week or so, you should be fine, but nothing is broken or fractured."

"Well, that's a relief," Green said, looking down at his arm in the splint. "Can I take off this thing now?"

Daisy turned to her nephew as he waved his arm, trapped in the splint so he looked like a penguin.

"Hmmmm," said the doctor, tapping her pen against her lips before it curled into a smile. "Wait until tomorrow."

Blue couldn't hold back her giggles as Green's face fell, obviously he had expected a different answer. He waved his unbendable arm in the air, annoyed.

"Y'know, you haven't been able wash your arm since we got here," she teased, pinching her nose with her forefinger and thumb. "It's gonna rot off eventually."

"Oh," Yellow said, her voice tiny as she gently pet the Wartortle and Oddish in her lap. "I didn't know that could happen."

Green's ears grew red as he turned to Blue, sending her a look. Knowing that Green could never really stay mad at her, Blue stuck her tongue at him, teasingly.

"Yellow," Blaine said in his low, gravelly voice. "What do you call someone who believes it when someone else calls them gullible?"

The blonde shrugged, her face blank as if uncaring on whether she learned the answer or not.

"Gullible," the man answered and from the kitchen table Blue could've sworn she heard Daisy snort.

The small talk was interrupted by a loud cracking noise from the backyard. Yellow and Blue turned, and Blaine shrugged it off.

"It's probably Mr. Boss Man coming in," he said and quickly the door opened, revealing a dark-haired man in a red hat. His face was red from the cold weather, and he quickly opened his bomber-jacket to reveal the tiny, light yellow fur of his Pikachu. Shaking off some stray snow, he picked up the aging Pokémon and placed him on his shoulder.

"Hey guys," the man greeted with a smile before turning to Daisy. "Anything new?"

"Yes," the woman said, getting up from her seat to walk over to the man. "For one thing, your son is awake."

Blue watched as the man's eyes narrowed, his brows furrowed slightly with a nod. Daisy continued talking, though her voice so low that Blue couldn't make out anything. She has only met Ash Ketchum 48 hours ago when he had swooped into the Cerulean Gym with Blaine and Yellow to scoop the three of them out of danger, but there was something about the man that was inherently intriguing, asides from his twelve year long absence.

His dark eyes and messy hair reminded her of Red, and a huge part of her felt uneasy about the whole situation. Blue had only heard about Red's father from a mix of heroic tales when they were kids to angry one-sentence jabs as they got older. It was a complicated relationship - if it could even still be called that after over a decade of no communication. Blue's eyes traveled to Green, should they have warned Red in advance that it was his father that saved them?

There was a crash and within seconds the stomping noise of Red running down the upstairs hallway and towards the stairs echoed through the cabin.

"Guys! Guys! Guys!" he shouted as he turned the corner and stood at the top of the stairs, in his usual red hat and borrowed clothes he was unaware belonged to Ash. He looked down at everyone below, "Something weird is-"

Blue felt her heart jump in to her throat as she saw Red's face slowly drop at the sight of his father. His arms slacked enough for Pichu to jump from his hold, instead hopping over to snuggle between Green and Blue on the sofa.

Ash turned away from Daisy, making eye contact with his son. He smiled, his brown eyes sad as the Pikachu on he shoulder turned and sniffed the air. Blue figured he was probably remembering Red's scent - could it have changed in twelve years?

"Hey son," Ash finally said after what felt like an hour of everyone just staring at each other in heavy silence. "Hope you're feeling better."

Blue saw Red's eyes flicker with an emotion that she had only seen a few times in their lives and within a second he was running back up the hallway, slamming the door behind him. Instantly, Blue was on her feet, running after the boy until she reached his bedroom door. Unsurprisingly, he had locked it behind him.

"Red!" she ordered, pounding on the door with a balled fist. "Open up!"

Though she wasn't sure what she was supposed to really say to a guy who just saw his estranged father and probably also figured out he had super-zappy powers, Blue knew that locking yourself in a bedroom wasn't the best means of handling the situation.

"C'mon!" she yelled again, banging on the door with her fist. In the corner of her eye she saw that Oddish, Wartortle and Pichu had lined up on the stairs, worried about their trainer. "Red, please!"

There was still nothing, and Blue took that personality.

"All right, loser," she said, backing up to the end of the hallway, getting herself prepared in a running position. "If you're not going to come out, I'm just going to have to break down the door!"

Letting off like a rocket, Blue's feet pounded against the hardwood floor until she felt herself clotheslined as she was scooped up by a strong arm. Almost losing her balance, she felt the arm tighten around her and she looked up to see that it was Green.

"Woah woah," he said as they stabilized, leaning against the wall across from Red's door. "Listen, breaking doors down won't do anything. You gotta just let him, you know...figure it out."

Blue sighed, leaning against the boy's arm with a pout as she stared at the locked door.

"Fine," she said softly, turning away from Green. "Just keep your smelly arm away from me."

* * *

The rest of the night went by as uncomfortable as one would think after that. Blaine and Yellow cooked a small dinner which everyone ate like a strange, dysfunctional family with a big pink elephant in the room. Green had gone up to Red's door to ask him if he wanted anything to eat, but was replied with only silence. After dinner Blue would see him wrapping up leftovers to put into the refrigerator.

"You know," he shrugged when Blue asked. "For when he gets hungry later."

Daisy left soon after, giving Blue and Green a warm embrace as she left.

"Don't worry, honey," she said to her nephew, who was a good head taller than his aunt. "You guys will get everyone back, and I'll finally be able to give your father the physical he's been putting off for ten years!"

Green laughed uncomfortably at Daisy's strange sense of humor (though Blue wasn't sure the woman was entirely kidding) before she left the snowy top of Mt. Silver on her Altaria, heading back to her private practice in Goldenrod City.

After going inside, Blaine stretched with a yawn.

"Okay, kids," he said, turning to the three teens. "What has four legs that you can climb into but never ride?"

Green ignored the old man, choosing to instead take a book to read at the kitchen while Blue and Yellow sat on the sofa in thought. Ash took a seat next to Green, watching on in interest.

"A table?" Yellow asked and was disheartened when Blaine answered with a buzzer noise.

"Nope," he said, his gray mustache moving with his smile. "You can't climb a table, but you're on the right track. Blue, what do you think?"

"A chair?" she offered and was also answered with an annoying buzzer noise. She wondered if there was a way for Blaine to be less obnoxious about getting a question wrong.

"It's a bed," Green said finally, his eyes not leaving the book. "A bed has four legs and you climb into it when you go to sleep."

The two girls exchanged looks before looking at Blaine who erupted into laughter.

"Marvelous!" he laughed, turning around in his seat to look at Green over his sunglasses. "Nice one, Green!"

Green shrugged, his face still in his book. Next to him, Blue saw Ash smile slightly before turning to his sleepy Pikachu that had taking refuge on the table.

"Yes, Oak," Yellow said, her voice as even as always. "You're surprisingly clever."

At the (sorta) compliment, Green's blush wasn't just in his ears but had traveled to his entire face. Leaning so close to his book that Blue was sure he could smell the pages, Green attempted to hide his bashfulness.

"It's whatever," he managed, and that seemed good enough for Yellow who turned away from the boy to ask for another riddle.

Soon, Ash and Blaine went to bed before being followed by the teens. As they climbed the stairs, Blue paused by the Red's door, which remained closed. She wondered if Ash had done the same thing before following Red's Pokémon into Yellow's room to sleep on the floor.

* * *

Blue didn't sleep, though Yellow made it look easy as she and Red's team were all out the moment their heads hit the pillow. On the floor, Blue tossed and turned until she eventually gave up on any hopes of sleeping. Quietly, she made her way to the bathroom next door, but stopped when she saw Red's still locked door across the hall. Her bare feet rapping against the wood flooring, she lightly held the doorknob to see that it was still locked. Exasperatedly, she rested her forehead on the cool wood of the door.

"Stupid, jerk," she mumbled.

After Pewter, her relationship with Red seemed more complicated than ever. The awkwardness that instantly sprung between them made Blue feel even dumber about her feelings. To the point that when they finally had a moment to talk she completely rejected any idea of them being together at all. It seemed like the easier choice at the time, but all Blue could do was replay Red's look in her head and wonder...

She was torn from her thoughts when she heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Slowly, she made her way to the top of the stairs to see Green sitting on the kitchen counter, desperately trying to remove his splint with a knife.

"Hey," she said deviously as she took a seat on the bottom stair, her head resting in her hand. "Whatcha doing, Green?"

Startled, the knife in Green's hand nearly flew from his grip. Once he processed that the girl on the stairs was only Blue, who was currently in a fit of giggles, he relaxed.

"You shouldn't do that to people with knives in their hands," he scolded, as Blue rose from her seat and hopped onto the counter next to him.

"You're right, my bad," she smiled as she tucked a leg under her and adjusted the oversized T-shirt she had worn to bed. "What are you even doing?"

"Trying to get this stupid splint off," Green frowned, as he went back to hacking away at the hard plastic with his knife. "I don't care what my aunt said, I can't deal with it anymore. Do you know how itchy this shit is?"

Though Blue knew that she shouldn't laugh at Green's misfortune she couldn't help but smile at the green-eyed boy. Green usually always played by the rules, so it was refreshing to see him at least trying to color outside the lines.

"Here," she said, taking the knife away from him before he sawed off his entire appendage. "Let me help you."

Twisting her long hair to throw over her shoulder, Blue's slender fingers traveled across Green's arm, until finding the small plastic fasteners that held the contraption together. With a flick of her fingers, it was lose, popping opened like a clamshell.

Then came the smell.

"Ewwww!" Blue hissed, as she jumped from the counter holding her nose. "That's so freaking gross!"

Green puffed his cheeks, holding his breath comically as he ran to the kitchen sink to wash the stench from his skin. Still holding her nose, Blue grabbed the grotesque, used splint and threw it into the garbage, slamming the top for good measure. Green shushed her between chuckles, turning off the water as she handed him a dish towel to dry his newly freed arm. It only took a few seconds of silence for both the teens to erupt into a fit of giggles again.

"That was disgusting," Blue said, hopping back to her perch on the counter while Green leaned against the sink, still drying his arm.

"Yeah," Green smiled, looking up at the girl. "At least I can finally shower like a normal person now."

The two fell into a comfortable silence that was broken when Blue turned her attention to the staircase.

"He still hasn't come down, has he?" she asked and Green's face fell into its usual serious look.

"Not that I know of," he said, his eyes fixated on the sink. "I've only seen him like this once before."

"When?"

"When his dad first left."

Blue nodded, looking down at her feet dangling from the countertop. She had moved to Cerulean City shortly after Ash's disappearance, and since her house was right next door to the gym her first sight of the young boy was when he was sitting on his bedroom window sill, searching for his missing father.

"It's like I said before," Green said, bringing Blue back to their situation. "You just need to let him figure this out."

"But what even is  _this_?" she said, motioning to where they were. "We're sitting in a cabin on top of Mt. Silver doing  _what,_ exactly?"

"It's the Underground," Green said, his eyes suddenly filled with sadness. "Or what's left of it anyway. During the days of Team Rocket's resurgence Red's dad, my dad and a bunch of other people gathered together to take them down. It seemed to be working until about twelve years ago when things got more...intense."

"Intense?" Blue echoed. "Why?"

"For something called the four Conduits," he explained. "People who could harness the powers of Pokémon - it was only seen as an old Johto legend until someone in Hoenn actually popped up with the power to harness Pokémon energy. But him and his sister were killed in a battle at the Cave of Origins and the Underground went into action to find the other three. They're saying one is the leader of Team Plasma, whoever that is, and the other one was killed by Team Rocket twelve years ago. That was the battle where my mother was killed."

Green stopped for a moment and Blue reached out a hand to touch his damp arm. He shrugged it off with a smile.

"No, it's okay," he said, clearing his throat before continuing. "Afterwards, me and dad moved to Pallet to take over Oak Labs and Red's dad left. I don't really know what happened or why, but him and my dad kept in contact. They've been trying to find the last Conduit."

"So...you knew?" came a voice and Blue and Green both turned to the staircase to see Red, his hat pulled low and covering his eyes. "And you never told me?"

"Red, please," Green said, backing up. "It was more complicated than that."

"It seems pretty simple to me," Red growled, storming down the stairs and getting up in Green's face. "You either knew or you didn't know."

"Red back up," Green said, growing annoyed and pushing Red away. "Get out of my face."

"No, answer the fucking question, Green!" Red shouted, taking the boy by the shirt.

"Get off me!" Green shot, and soon the two boys were tumbling around the tiny kitchen, hitting chairs and walls as they went.

"Hey!" Blue called, sprinting from her seat. "Knock it off, you two!"

The boys ignored her, as Red finally pinned Green to the wall nearest to the front door.

"How?!" he shouted, spit hitting Green right in the face. "How did you fucking know, asshole!"

"My...dad told me," Green spatted, trying to break out from Red grasp."Because unlike yours, he actually gave a shit about me!"

It was something Blue knew Green didn't mean, but in the heat of the moment, with them all just locked in a cabin in the middle of who-knows-where, he dug deep and hit below the belt. And of course, Red took the bait and both boys broke.

"Fuck you!" Red screamed, his voice breaking as he grabbed Green by the arms and flipped it into the door, breaking it open and letting in the cool mountain air.

The two boys feel to the ground, in the cold snow as the two of them fought for dominance. While Red had speed, Green had pure strength and managed to kick the other boy off him, sending him flying into the snow. Blue saw him reach for his arm, which was probably re-injured in the tackle.

"You're the worst friend in the fucking universe, Green!" Red screamed, taking a handful of snow and throwing it at the teen. "I fucking hate you!"

"I'm the worst friend?" Green called back, taking his own handful of snow to chuck. "I gave you everything ever since we were kids - God, I even gave you Blue!"

Blue's heart skipped and she watched as Red's face scrunched up in another painful yell as he got up for another tackle, which Green rolled out of the way for. Behind her, Blue heard the hurried footsteps of the other housemates, but she didn't turn around to face them.

"All you care about is yourself," Green shouted finally, standing up from the snow and turning around to go back to cabin. "You're such a fucking brat, Red, that's why nobody wants to deal with your bullshit."

Green marched back to the door, leaving Red in the snow alone. When he reached Blue the two of them made uncomfortable eye-contact before he moved passed her to lock himself in his own room.


	15. The Rockets

N felt the familiar emptiness of Plasma Castle when he entered through the large double doors. Instantly he was met by Anthea and Concordia, his nursemaids since childhood.

"Hello my lord N," Concordia said with a bow, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders and onto the castle floor. "I hope your travel was agreeable."

N didn't answer and instead instantly releasing his Pokémon from their balls - he hated having to keep them inside those wretched things. Without needing an order, Anthea kneeled down to heal his Darmanitan, Woobat and Zorua. Taking Zora into his arms, N turned to head to his bedroom, but was interrupted by Anthea placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned to frown at the pink-haired woman.

"My lord," she said, her voice even. "Your father wishes to speak with you."

N's frown deepened before letting out a sigh. With Zora softly mewing in his arms, he climbed up one of the many staircases to his father's chambers. Behind him, Woobat and Darmanitan followed their master, hissing at the Sages as they passed. N didn't stop them, and he saw Rood roll his eyes at the Pokémon. Instantly he stopped.

"Rood?" the young man said, staring ahead at the large silver and blue door at the end of the hall and the man.

"Oh," the old man answered. "Yes, my lord?"

"If I ever see you roll your eyes at my friends again," N said, turning to the man to express a wide smile. "I can promise you that I will personally rip them from their sockets."

Rood blinked, his face blanching from shock.

"Ah...yes, my apologies, my lord," he stammered, before turning away. "It will never happen again."

N nodded with a cheerful smile before heading through the large door and his smile vanished as he entered his least favorite room in the castle. Ghetsis was sitting in a large armchair when N arrived and smiled, his face wrinkling under his eyes and mouth.

"Good, I see Anthea sent you the message," he said with a low chuckle. "Happy to know that woman is good for something."

N remained silent, holding Zora close as Darmanitan sat behind his trainer quietly. Woobat flew to perch on top of a bookcase in the far corner of the room.

"You don't need to stand there, N," Ghetsis said, his voice drenched with exhaustion. "You can take a seat like a human being - that is, if you're acting like one today."

Knowing better, N's face remained blank, not allowing Ghetsis' jabs to affect him. He had outgrown those a long time ago. The older man sighed loudly, raising up from his chair.

"Fine, do as you wish," he said, pouring himself a drink. "I don't have time for coddle you today, boy. Now, did you meet with our dear friend Cyrus in Sinnoh?"

"Yes," N said finally, his face still stone. "He has been dealt with and the Sages have begun Galactic's integration process within Plasma."

"Excellent, with Galactic and Flare out of the way all that leaves us with are the Rockets."

"The Rockets?" N said, showing a little emotion in his confusion. "I thought we were allying with them."

"Don't be a fool, boy," Ghetsis said between sips. "In this world, your alliances fall the moment they stop being useful. Now that you've identified our target, Cassidy and Butch now fall into that category."

N's face fell as Ghetsis finished his drink and made a motion to his desk, his long cape flapping behind him. The teen felt his hands shake as he held Zora, who looked at him with large, red eyes.

"I want you to go to Kanto in the morning," Ghetsis said, twirling the ice in his glass with his wrist as he spoke. "Afterwards you will escort the target to me. You may use the Shadow Triad-"

"No," said N with finality.

Ghetsis looked at his son as if he had grown a second head. The word 'No' wasn't something he was used to hearing, and had to ask N to repeat himself.

"I said no," the green-haired teen said, looking up to make eye-contact with his father. "I've told you before, I don't like killing these people and neither do the Pokémon. They're not happy...they're hurting!"

From the bookshelf, Woobat let out a shrill cry in agreement.

Leaning back in his chair, Ghetsis took a long look at his son. His face contorted into a frown as N's eyes remained fixed on the floor. After a long time without speaking, the old sage finally let out a long, heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, my child," he said, placing his hands on his face dramatically. "I was hoping I could spare this side of our mission from you, but it appears that I have no choice."

"What are you talking about?" N asked, his voice cracking as he tried not to cry. Meeting with his father were never easy, and always emotional. Oftentimes his feelings felt like water in his hands, dripping between his fingers and always out of his grasp.

Ghetsis didn't answer immediately, instead he stood from his chair to walk to small table on the other side of the room. He opened a velvet bag to bring out three Poké Balls, and throwing them in the air. In a beam of white light, a Purrloin, Timburr and Scraggy all appeared, each looking sickly, beaten and weak. Instantly, Zora jumped from its master's arms to sniff the Pokémon who flinched, frighten by the contact. N fell to his knees instantly, his heart aching so much that he felt like he was going to be sick.

"These are Pokémon owned by members of those teams," Ghetsis said, shaking his head. "They were abused and used for nothing other than petty battling. Luckily, we got to them in time to save them, but do you see why we must do what we do, my child? Why Team Plasma must prevail?"

N didn't respond, instead he crawled to the three injured Pokémon, and extended his hand. The tips of his fingers began to glow a soft, white light as he closed his eyes - instantly he felt their emotions run through his body and a trusting link was made. Within moments, the Purrloin, Timburr and Scraggy all came into his arms, eloping in a warm embrace. Consumed by their energy, N didn't even hear his father's footsteps as he neared him.

"My son," Ghetsis said, taking the boy by the chin and raising his eyes to meet his. "You are a Conduit, and with your powers we can stop this cycle of torment and liberate Pokémon - however, you cannot do that alone. We must find the last Conduit, as only you and her can bring peace to Pokémon. Do you understand?"

Silently, N nodded, his embrace around the tiny creatures in his arms tightening.

* * *

Cassidy knew she was missing something, and it was driving her crazy.

Sitting on her desk, she stared at the white board in her office, a cigarette dangling from her lips. After taking a final drag, her perfectly manicured fingers pulled the lipstick stained stick from her mouth to crush it into her ashtray. Within seconds, she pulled another from her pack and lit it quickly.

She stared at the board that was currently covered with several pictures of Blue, including the one from their spies at the Pewter Museum. Something about that girl stuck with her, but for the life of her Cassidy could not pinpoint what it was. It was a familiar sense of hatred - something she hadn't felt in years. Not since Olivine...

There was a knock at the door and her violet eyes traveled to the end of the office to see that it was only Butch. With a blink she was back to staring at the white board.

"So this is where you've been," he said, walking to her slowly. "What the hell are you even doing?"

"That girl," she said, pointing at her board. "I know that girl."

"Yes, she's friends with Ketchum's brat," Butch said, as if he was explaining the simplest thing in the world. "Now c'mon, let's go to bed."

Seeing that his wife's eyes were still fixated on the board, Butch wrapped his arm around her, and made a failed attempt to kiss her neck. She shrugged him off, nearly burning him with her cigarette. He pouted at her rejection.

"If you're lonely call up a Grunt," she said, her voice stern. "What's the name of the young one you like, Mark?"

"Rude," the blue-haired man said, running his hand through his locks as he looked away from her. "And he's busy tonight, anyway."

Cassidy ignored him, which only bothered Butch more.

"What's your obsession with this girl anyway? Is it the Tentacruel thing again?"

"She took a direct hit of poison sting and was back on her feet within seconds, Butch," Cassidy hissed before taking another drag of her cigarette. "That's just not normal."

"I told you, it probably just missed," he said, exasperated. "Why are you so sure she's the one anyway? You saw what Ketchum's kid could do - I think he's a bigger target than this basic brunette."

"No, there's something else about her," the blonde said, her eyes narrow. "Ghetsis wants her and I want to know why."

"I'm telling you, their intel is wrong," Butch said, resting his hand on his hip. "She aint a Conduit."

Suddenly, Cassidy's head rose up so quickly Butch was surprised her neck didn't snap. She quickly shoved her half-finished cigarette into the ash try before jumping off the desk and slipping on her boots.

"Where are you going?" he asked. Within moments she grabbed her jacket from the coat hanger.

"Internment building," she answered over her shoulder before grabbing the door knob. "Don't wait up."

Butch sighed as he took her used cigarette and lit it for himself, pulling out his Pokégear and flipping it opened to check to his messages. Maybe Mark  _was_  free that night...

* * *

Walking across the darken streets of Celadon City, Cassidy walked to the internment building, which was housed underneath their newly re-opened Game Corner. With a swipe of her card key, a small freight elevator appeared and led her to its depths.

Unlike Giovanni, when Cassidy resurrected Team Rocket more than a decade earlier, she had bigger plans for them than stealing Pokémon. Under the guise of Rocket Enterprise, their casinos, poker parlors and Pokémon racing tracks could be found all over Kanto and Johto's major cities. However, as the old saying goes, a Girafarig never does change its spots.

The elevator stopped, opening to reveal a fleet of guards, who instantly bowed to their leader.

"Good evening, boss," said one Grunt as she passed. "Are you here to see the Gym Leaders?"

"Not this time," she said, though it did remind her to have a little chit-chat with her least favorite water-type trainer. "I will be on this floor though, but to Prisoner 001's cell."

The Grunt's head popped up, surprise clearly on his face.

"Prisoner 001?" he echoed. "Are you sure?"

Cassidy sent him a glare, and instantly he was back to bowing, sputtering an apology for questioning her actions as she walked passed him. If it were a normal day, she would have had Raticate make quick work of him, but tonight she had bigger plans.

The heels of her boots clicked against the linoleum flooring of the hall, and with another swipe of her card key she entered the glass room holding the "infamous" Prisoner 001. Wasting no time, she knocked on the glass with her fist awakening her sleeping target. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked to see who was standing at the glass.

"Cas...Cassidy?" he said, his voice as rough as sand paper.

"That's right," she smiled, venomously. "It's been a while, Meowth."


	16. Operation Blue and Yellow

Blue was beyond annoyed.

It had been two days since Green and Red's epic fight in the snow and they were still in a no-talking standstill. Considering their situation, she had taken it upon herself to create a plan for the two boys to make up, and was as creatively calling it "Operation Make Up."

With the morning sun beaming through the windows, Blue sat on the floor as she tied her long hair in a bun on her head as Jigglypuff, Charmeleon and Riolu assisted her in cutting out pieces of paper and putting them in place on her so-called "Master Plan" board. There was a knock on the door and the team turned to see Yellow walk in, sipping a juice box.

"Good morning," she greeted, her voice as even as always as she took a seat next to Blue. "What are you working on now?"

"Operation Make Up," she said as she scribbled another note on an index card, handing it to Jigglypuff to place on the board. "How about you, did you sit out on patrolling the area with Blaine and Ash?"

"Yes," the blonde nodded as she took a marker in her hand, twirling it between her fingers as she sipped her juice box lazily. "I have orders to make sure Oak is safe which trumps anything else in the Underground, except for attacks or ambushes. However, with him staying locked in his room most of the time, my job has become extremely boring."

"Wait a second," Blue said, turning to the girl and with a raised eyebrow. "You're in charge of making sure Green is safe?"

The tiny blonde nodded, taking another sip of her juice.

"You do know he's a Pokémon trainer, right? Like, he has his own team and is kinda skilled."

"Yes, but he is also a stupid boy," said the blonde, and Blue couldn't dispute that.

Even though after their fight Red would now venture out of his room for food and bathing, the two boys refused to speak and would instead bring their plates of food to their rooms. Not only was this stupid, it was also getting pretty gross. Blue was tired of seeing dirty dishes in front of their doors and having to constantly wait for the bathroom because those two morons were trying to avoid each other.

"Say," Yellow said, pointing to the board. "Are you doing all this because you feel guilty that a main stress between their friendship was that they both had a crush on you?"

Blue felt herself bristle like a cat before turning to the blonde.

"N-no!" she said with an awkward laugh and smile she hoped was convincing. "Don't be silly! I just want them to be friends again!"

Yellow raised an eyebrow as she took another sip of her juice and Blue knew she wasn't buying it.

"Whatever," Blue said, changing the subject. "I could use some help, do you think you're up to the challenge?"

"Challenge?" Yellow echoed, the word piquing her interest.

"Yeah, I can rename the operation if you want," Blue continued, pointing to the board with a marker dramatically. "Hey, why don't we can call it Operation Blue and Yellow? It totally sounds more official that way!"

"Oh," the blonde girl said with a slight blush and smile. "Okay!"

"Awesome," Blue smiled, extending her hand to the girl and shaking it. "Let the operation begin!"

Within the hour, Operation Blue and Yellow was underway and it didn't take long for the girls to realize that it was a total bomb. Though they had plans, boards and secret code names (Blue's was Agent Leaf and Yellow was Agent Double-X) they didn't calculate one thing: the stubbornness of teenage boys.

The ploy was to get the boys alone in the hall together, where Blue was sure the two would finally be forced to talk. The girls had stuck chewing gum on the doors, keeping them from opening.

"Do you think Leader Ash is going to be upset that we put gum on the door knobs?" Yellow asked, but her question was ignored as Blue watched like a hawk from the bottom of the stairs.

After Green left his room to get food and Red left to use the bathroom, when they returned though both boys were alone in the hall together, they were too busy trying to prey their respective doors open to pay attention to the other.

"Damn it," Blue whined as her and Yellow spied. "We forgot to take into account that their rooms are across from each other! They can't talk if only their backs are facing!"

"I never knew chewing gum could be so strong," the blonde noted, resting her chin in her hand. "Unless they are both incredibly weak."

"If only we can get them out of their rooms for a second," Blue said, again ignoring her partner. With her chin with her hand she thought aloud, "I wonder if there's a way we can open their doors?"

"Oh, is that all you need?" Yellow said, climbing the stairs with gusto. Blue felt the color drain from her face when the girl knocked on Red's door and waited patiently for the dark-haired boy to answer. When he did, he looked down the blonde, Pichu resting on his shoulder as he blinked at the short girl. "Hello, can you please keep your door opened for a moment?"

Red blinked a few more times, adjusting his hat before finally clearing his throat.

"Uh," he said, his voice hoarse from lack of use. "Who are you again?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Blue screamed from the foot of the stairs, her face red from anger. "That's Yellow, you idiot!"

"How the hell am I supposed to know that?" Red shouted down the stairs, pointing at Yellow. "I've never met her before in my life!"

"You've been living with her for almost a week!"

"Hey!" Green yelled, opening his door to join in on the fight. He placed his hand on Yellow's shoulder protectively, "Don't fucking yell at Yellow, asshole!"

"I'm not yelling at her," Red yelled at the other boy, before pointing at Blue. "I'm yelling at Blue!"

"Don't yell at me either, dick!" the brunette shouted from her place on the stairs.

The trio continued to argue, as Yellow's head went back and forth as if she was watching a tennis match. Eventually the boys angrily turned to go back to their rooms, only to find that their doors were still stuck with gum.

"Why is there gum on the doors?!" shouted both boys, their attention pinpointed at Blue like laser beams. The girl simply remained silent as both teens kicked their doors opened and retreated into their rooms. As the dust settled, Yellow turned to her partner.

"At least they interacted," she smiled. "Is that progress?"

"No!" Blue groaned as she walked over towards to sofa. She flopped into the cushions face first, letting out a long groan into the fabric. "This is hopeless! We're stuck in the this stupid cabin on top of Mt. Awkward Tension and not only are we being chased by one of the biggest crime syndicates in the world, but now my best friends hate each other!"

"I don't know if this is helpful," Yellow said, climbing to sit on the armrest of the couch. "But Team Rocket was always following you, you were just unaware of it."

"It's not, but I appreciate the effort."

"Why don't you simply talk to them individually?" Yellow offered as she swung her legs over the arm of the sofa and hopped off. "They don't seem to have any issue talking with you. I mean, door gum aside - by the way, we really should clean that up before Leader Ash and Blain return."

"I guess talking could help," Blue said as Yellow opened the refrigerator door. "I just don't want to mess anything up more."

"As long as you are honest, you should be fine," the blonde girl said with a smile as she kneeled in front of Blue's sprawled figure on the sofa. "Here, have a juice box, you'll feel better."

With a sigh, Blue reached out to take the tiny cardboard box. To her surprise, the blonde was right.

* * *

Green raised an eyebrow as Blue slowly entered his bedroom later that night, smiling a toothy grin as she closed the door behind her.

"Oh no," he said with a frown, sitting up in his bed and pointing at the door. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing the ace-bandage that twisted around his shoulder. "No, no! Be gone, She-Demon! I'm still pissed about that gum crap!"

Blue's smile remained as she tucked her hair behind her ear, slowly making her way to the end of Green's bed. He didn't seem to notice as he was too busy lecturing her.

"Do you know what a pain in the ass that was to get off my door?" he said as she slithered into his bed like an Ekans, a smile still plastered on her face. "You even got Yellow involved too! She's such a sweet girl, you shouldn't get her wrapped up in your terrible behav-"

He paused when he noticed that Blue has crawled into his lap, her nose mere centimeters from his as her brown hair veiled them like a curtain. Her mouth was rested in a relaxed smile, her full lips curved upwards.

"Errrr," Green squeaked, his face as red as a tomato. His skin became instantly soaked in sweat as his green eyes locked with blue. Suddenly, Green forgot how to speak in coherent sentences. "Uh...duh..."

"I heard what you said to Red when you were fighting in the snow like overgrown babies," Blue finally said, her voice smooth as her eyes sparkled.

"Durgh..." Green replied, intelligently.

"That you let him have me?" she continued, her lips coming closer to his and Green was sure he was going to die, or throw-up on her. Either situation would end with his death, so he was pretty much doomed. His heart pounded in his chest as something snapped in his brain and suddenly he remembered how to talk and think - which were good things.

"Blue, wait," he hissed, his breath brushing against her lips like ink on paper. "I...I can't do this."

"Oh?" she replied, her head tilting to the side in curiosity. "But what you said outside...?"

"That's what I thought but..." Green looked away, the blush in his face fading as he gathered himself. "There's...someone else."

A palpable silence arose between them, luckily it was broken by Blue talking and not Green vomiting.

"I know," she smiled, rolling back to the edge of the bed to sit cross-legged. "Yellow, right? I so knew it!"

Blue punched the air in victory as Green blinked for a few seconds before it finally hit him what the brunette was up to. Instantly, he collapsed back on the bed, taking a pillow to his face and screaming into it. Seeing this, the teenage girl stuck her tongue out teasingly.

"You're the worse," he groaned, throwing the pillow at Blue who easily dodged it. "What the hell was that seduction crap for? Man, you totally freaked me out..."

"I wanted to make sure I was right about your feelings for Yellow," she said before Green shushed her and she rolled her eyes. "Relax, she's asleep."

"Still," Green blushed, covering his face with his hands before peaking through his fingers at Blue. "What if you were wrong, though? I could've totally ravished you with my smoldering masculinity!"

The girl raised an eyebrow, "Smoldering masculinity?"

Green pouted as Blue snorted loudly.

"But in all a seriousness," Green said, his face stern. "I'm sorry...you know, for acting like a jerk before. I didn't mean drag you into my fight with Red, it just sort of came out."

"It's okay," she said resting her head in her hands. "Sorry for the gum. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Green shook his head before leaning up against the headboard of the bed.

"So, since everything is out," Green said with a small smile. "I never really had a chance, did I? It was always Red."

It was now Blue's turn to blush as she turned away from Green who bursted into a fit of laughter. Growing annoyed at his sniggering, the girl grabbed the thrown pillow to beat the chestnut haired boy to as much of a pulp as she could. Unfortunately, it just caused him to laugh harder.

* * *

When Red opened his door to see Blue he almost closed it on her.

Almost.

Unlucky for him, Blue had stuck her hand on the inside of the door, and even though he didn't want to talk to her that didn't mean he wanted to break all of her fingers. Her brows knitted and he looked down at her hand to see a bit of gum had stuck to it.

"Really?" she said, flipping her hand to show him the gum. "You didn't clean this off?"

"I wasn't the one who put it there."

She rolled her eyes as he moved out of the way for her to come inside and grab a tissue from the table next to the bed. Red closed the door behind her, turning around and leaning against it with a frown.

"Why do you have tissues by your bed, Red?" Blue asked cheekily as she tossed hers into the trash bin. She stopped her teasing when she saw Red wasn't having it and with a sigh, she sat on his bed, legs crossed as she rested her chin on her fist. "So…enjoying the mountain air?"

"If you're just here to be annoying…"

"No, I'm not," she said with another sigh. "Look, I'm just worried about you, Red."

The dark-haired boy looked up and saw that Blue was being serious, and by the way her ankle was shaking she was nervous too.

"Worried?"

"Yeah, I mean...you haven't been yourself," she said, her eyes looking away. "I know things are complicated."

"Complicated?" he scoffed and she looked to see he was smiling venomously. "Complicated? Okay, let me break this down for you, Blue because I don't think you really get what I'm going through right now, so here's the low down."

He pushed off the door, slowly making his way to her, making the motion of counting on his fingers.

"First off, my mother has been kidnapped by an insane crime syndicate and who knows if she's even alive or dead at this point. Second, the father who abandoned my family to go play cowboys and indians in the mountains suddenly appears, and thirdly my best friend absolutely hates my guts."

By the time he got to number three, he was leaning against the side of the bed, his arms on either side of Blue who looked directly into his eyes and the fury they held. Calmly, she raised up her hand, holding up four fingers.

"You forgot that you have the power to harness electricity," she said, her expressionless face catching Red off-guard. "So, there's that."

They stood still in thick silence that was only broken when Pichu's snores were heard from across the room. The tiny electric-type was curled in a ball in Red's hat, completely unaware of the tension going on in the outside world.

"What are you here to do, Blue?" he said finally, his patience growing thin. "To get me go outside and play nice with the father who left me or to go say sorry to Green for getting upset that he knew where he was this entire time and  _lied to me_."

"None of that," she said, her eyes icy. "I want you to stop acting like a crazy psychopath and realize that you're not angry."

"But I am angry!" he said, his voice rising as his grip on the bed strengthened.

"No, you're scared."

Red felt his heart skip as he stared at Blue who piercing glare never left. He felt himself trembling and had to look away from her as she continued.

"I know you, Red, you're terrified," she said, her voice soft. "Everything is up in the air and you don't know where the ground is anymore, I get it. It's okay to be scared and to think that you can't handle it, but you need to see that it's not just you in this - we're all up in the air with you. You just need to let us in and believe that we can help you."

Red felt his heart squeeze in his chest, his breath caught in his throat. He wasn't going to cry, but he felt like everything he had been holding onto the last few days was going to burst out of him. Any doubt about his feelings for Blue were gone, he knew what he felt.

"C'mere," she said, sitting up and taking his hand from the sides of the bed. "C'mon, now."

Pulling her knees from under him, Blue climbed back on the bed and lead him in. Red couldn't even process the motions until they were situated on the bed together, her hands in his. If he was in a better state of mind, he would've felt awkward being so close to the girl he just realized his feelings for, but tonight none of that mattered. It was comforting and Red allowed himself to fall into it. He felt her fingers interlock within his as she spoke to him in a low, calm voice that made him feel whole again. Eventually, he drifted into an uneasy sleep to the sound of her voice and the smell of her hair.

* * *

"Blue! Wake up!" Yellow's voice rang as she pulled the brunette up into a sitting position. With groggy eyes, Blue looked at Yellow, wondering why the hell she was being awaken from such a comfortable sleep.

"Wha..." she managed before she was being tugged by the arm and down the stairs. Luckily, she had fallen asleep in her jeans and sweater the night before and it only took her a moment to slip into her sneakers. "Why are we going outside?"

"It's the guys," she said as she pulled the other girl outside the cabin where Blaine was already waiting, looking amused. Stopping next to the old man, the blonde pointed ahead. "They are talking!"

Blue blinked as the cold wind of Mt. Silver blew through her hair and froze her face. Pulling her hood over her hair, she squinted as she saw the boys standing in front of each other in the snow. Green's spiky hair was blowing with the wintery wind, his face covered by the collar of his over-sized parka while Red stood across from him, hair still covered by that raggedy, old hat as he stuck his hands in pockets of his down jacket.

"Why are they just standing there?" she asked, turning to Blaine. "Couldn't they do this inside?"

"It's a man thing," Blaine said, crossing his arms. "They fight in the snow, they make up in the snow."

"Well, this is stupid," Blue said, making a motion to go back inside. "Call me if they kill each other."

"Wait," Yellow called and Blue felt the shorter girl hold take hold of her sleeve. Looking down, their blue eyes met. "But, what about Operation Blue and Yellow? Do you not want to see if we succeeded?"

"Um, sure." Blue said as she felt her face blush, and her ears grew hot. Holy crap did Green have his work cut out for him - Yellow was cute as hell!

"Look," called Blaine and both girls turned to see the boys still standing in snow. "They're talking!"

Talking was an understatement. After a tense few moments, eventually both boys broke and ran to the other, eloping each other in the fiercest of bro-hugs. On the sidelines, Blaine and Yellow looked disappointed while Blue slapped her forehead with her hand. Blaine turned to Blue, his eyebrow raising from behind his glasses.

"So...is this typical of them?"

"Yes," she sighed, feeling herself overcome with a sense of exhaustion over the stupidity of her two friends. "They're idiots."

"Oh," Yellow said, placing her hand on her chin. "I wasn't aware that Oak and Ketchum had such a homosexual relationship."

Blue's face paled as she turned to the blonde, hysterically.

"What ?! No, no it's not like that! They're just-" Blue stopped when she suddenly felt something vibrate in her pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out her Pokégear, which hadn't held a signal since they landed on the mountain. Holding the phone in the air, she wandered around the perimeter of the cabin trying to get a stronger signal. Yellow and Blaine, however, continued to watch the two boys from the sidelines.

"Dude, I'm so sorry!" Red cried, burying his head in Green's shoulder as the other boy did the same. "I was such an asshole!"

"No, dude it was my fault!" Green sniffed, his words muffled by Red's jacket. "I totally should've told you about your dad, but I just didn't know how and then everything got so crazy. _I'm_  so sorry!"

"It's okay," Red said, pulling back and wiping his face with his sleeve. "Is your shoulder good?"

"Don't worry about it," Green smiled, his nose red from the cold. He slapped Red on the shoulder before adding in a low voice. "And don't worry about the Blue thing, either - she's yours, man. And I'm always here for you, no matter what."

From the sidelines, the three watched as the two boys went into another embrace. From around the side of the house, Blue stuck her head out, strands out her hair falling from her hood.

"Hey!" she called, gaining everyone's attention. "If you two losers are done making out with each other, there's something you'll probably want to see here."

After everyone ran over to Blue, the teenage girl flipped her Pokégear open, showing the latest news update from the Live Caster.

_Rocket Enterprise to Celebrate Re-Opening of Celadon Game Corner with Gym Leader Erika During Annual Rainbow Festival_


	17. Green's Plan

Sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by everyone, Green pointed to a map of Celadon City with a marker.

"So, from what you guys are saying," he said, circling two buildings on the map. "Rocket Enterprise is a guise for Team Rocket and their two buildings are really their headquarters?"

"That's right," Blaine said, standing above Green with his arms crossed. "We've had a feeling that they were keeping the Gym Leaders under there, but since it's been under construction it's been difficult to find a way to infiltrate it. We're also working with the lowest number of members we've ever had."

"How many people are part of the Underground?" Blue asked from her seat next to Green looking up at Ash, who was leaning against the kitchen counter. The man smiled sadly, as Pikachu looked over at its trainer with a pout.

"You're looking at 'em," he said with a shrug. "At least what's left of it, anyway."

"The Underground mostly consisted of Gyms Leaders across regions," Blaine explained. "We have connections to some trainers as well, but over the years the escalated violence and merger of crime syndicates have made things more difficult. Ketchum and Oak started the team as a means to combat the ongoing crimes against Pokémon, but once the Conduits appeared things got messy."

"But wouldn't something like that be under the the jurisdiction of the Pokémon League?" Blue asked, looking at the map. "I mean, isn't that what the Champion and Elite Four are supposed to do? Keep peace between trainers?"

"Yeah, they're  _supposed_  to do that when the League isn't totally corrupted," Blain scoffed. "That's why we had to start this thing, Lance and his so-called 'Elite Four' were so deep in the Rocket's pockets that when they started that 'Rocket Enterprise' crap he went on a media blitz on their reformation."

"Is that why nobody is noticing the Gym Leaders are missing?" Green asked, twirling the marker between his fingers.

"Well, Gym Leaders are known for being pretty mobile," Ash explained. "But when Officer Jenny starts knocking on doors and questioning where everyone is, I'm sure Lance will come up with a media-friendly spin on the entire situation."

"So...what do we do?" Red asked, finally speaking from his seat across Green. "We free everyone and then what? Go back on our journey to battle them for some badges?"

"Maybe we shouldn't think that far ahead," Green said, earnestly. "Obviously Cassidy and Butch are keeping everyone in the Interment Building as a means to lure out what's left of the Underground. The fact that they sent out that Live Caster about meeting with Erika was basically an invitation for us bust in."

"Especially since she's the only Kanto Leader who was never a big fan of ours," Blaine said, turning to Yellow who was sitting across from Blue. "She liked you, though."

"Yes, but she wanted to join her Female Only Gym," Yellow said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "And wear a dress everyday."

"Do you think they have a plan to kidnap her too?" Blue asked Ash, bringing the conversation back on topic.

"Definitely," the man nodded, before turning to Green. "That Game Corner used to have a hideout under it and I'm sure that's what they're using to hold everyone."

"Yeah," Green said. "They're expecting us to go in there guns blazing, but I think the best way to do this is to try to be sneakier than Team Rocket."

Everyone leaned in closer to the map as Green uncapped the marker, drawing lines and circles on the map as he spoke.

"Since the Rainbow Festival is the biggest event in Celadon, there are going to be a ton of people at the Game Corner," he explained. "That means using the benefit of the crowd, we can have Alpha Group, Red and Blue, sneak in as guests and steal grunts Card Keys. Using Jigglypuff or Oddish's sleep powder, we can knock out the entire party including the Rockets working it. We then have Beta Group, Green and myself, extract Erika and we all use the secret back lever to get down to the Internment Building. During this, Omega Group, Ash and Blaine, will be in the Rocket Enterprise Building distracting Cassidy and Butch until we all free the Gym Leaders and make a break for it."

Everyone stood in silence as Green leaned back in his chair, the bottom part of his hand stained with ink from the marker.

"Wait a second!" Blue finally interjected, pointing to the box that read Game Corner on the map. "Why do Red and I have to be the bait?"

"Um, well because you guys have certain, um,  _attributes_  that Yellow and I don't have," Green stammered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He means your breasts are bigger than mine," Yellow explained cooly, pointing at the brunette's chest as Green's face flared in embarrassment. "And Ketchum is good looking enough that people find his dimwittedness and lack of class charming."

"Hey," Blue said, turning to Red with tinted cheeks. "Are you just gonna take that?"

"Eh, what can I say?" Red said with a shrug as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head. "I was raised by the Sensational Sisters, I know how to charm dumb rich people."

Blue didn't seemed pleased by this answer as she leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

Blaine took a look at Ash, raising an eyebrow over his sunglasses, "Well, Boss Man? What do you think?"

"I think," Ash said as a wide grin spread across his face. "I really missed having an Oak on my team. This is a pretty solid plan, Green."

"Oh, wow," Green said, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. "Thanks, Ash."

"There's also something else we're forgetting on this map," Ash said, taking the marker from Green and drawing a connecting line between the Rocket Enterprise Building and Game Corner Building. "Since the Interment Building is underground, it actually expands to both building's basements. That means when we're done with Cassidy we can bust over and help you guys out."

"Seems good," Green said with a nod. "And that way we'll be dealing with less Rockets on our end, since they'll all be in the other building for you guys."

"Yeah, this is great and all but we're not taking into account one thing," Blue said, motioning a circle with her finger "We're only carrying three Pokémon each and they're all pretty low level. As great as my team is, I don't think Team Rocket is going to have much trouble battling a Riolu and Jigglypuff."

"Heh, no worries, kids," Blaine said, arms crossed as he grinned. "You'll be battling with Blastoise and Venusaur in no time. We're gonna max you guys out with some crash-training taught by one of the best Pokémon trainers in the world."

"Wow, really?" the teenage girl asked. "Who are they?"

"You're sitting across from her," the old man said, thumbing the blonde girl sitting across from Blue.

"Wait... _Yellow?!_ " Blue said with a blink before exchanging looks with Green and Red.

"I look forward to teaching you three," Yellow said with a pleasant smile. "And showing you lowly maggots how Pokémon battles are really fought."

The trio's looks quickly turned from disbelief to complete fear. What were they getting themselves into?

* * *

Cassidy entered the Game Corner's main area with a frown. Resting a hand on her hip she inspected the space before her eyes landed on her husband who was currently yelling at a bunch of grunts holding different types of dishes.

"Can you tasteless hacks get anything right?" he yelled, pointing with his one hand at the dishes. "I asked for Goldenrod Gold, not Glistening Gold! Send these back, now!"

The grunts nodded frantically before running away from their leader in a panic. With a sigh, the blue-haired man ran his hand through his hair, "It really is impossible to find good help these days."

Slowly Cassidy made her way to her husband side, her arms crossed over her chest, "Will this thing you insist on throwing be ready in time?"

"Of course," Butch said, letting out a melodramatic sigh as he rested his chin on the top of his wife's head. "Luckily there are two things I was born to do in this world: murder and event planning."

"Comforting," Cassidy said, leaning against her husband's chest as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Her eyes traveled around the room, her eyes dashing between slot machines and card tables. She felt his mouth lower down to her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

"I heard you went to speak with our furry little friend," Butch said, his voice low. "What is that all about?"

"Nothing important," she said, turning away from him. "He didn't give me the answers I was looking for, but at this point I doubt he even has a grip on reality anymore."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, none of those three were ever the brightest bulbs. Especially Jes-" Butch's sentence was cut short when he received an elbow in the gut from his wife, the breath leaving his body as he doubled over in pain.

"Don't ever say that name again," Cassidy hissed, stepping away from her husband to see that they had a visitor in the lobby. Her heels clicked along the floor quickly as she entered the room to see the flowing green hair of Ghetsis, his thin figure draped in a black cloak. Seeing her near him he smiled. "Oh! Lord Ghetsis! What a surprise it is to see you!"

"Yes, yes my dear," the old man said with a smile that reached up to the decorated patch on his eye. "I was in the area and decided to see how my investment in Rocket Enterprise is manifesting itself. Happy to see that the Game Corner will be re-opened."

"We're very excited ourselves," Cassidy said in a tone she hoped was hiding her intense discomfort.

"I hope this week's events go well," Ghetsis said before his face twisted into shock. "Oh, which reminds me. Cassidy, dear, it seems that nobody from my house was invited to this lovely party you're hosting! Isn't that so odd?"

"Oh yes!" the blonde said, faking laughter. "That is so strange,but perhaps your invites were simply lost in the mail!"

"Hmm, could be," the old man rubbed his chin in thought. "Regardless, I'm sure that won't stop us from enjoying the night's festivities, right? I mean, after all, our partnership is one of the strongest in the region."

"Yes, of course. Don't you worry - you are VIP for sure, Ghetsis!"

"Excellent," the man smiled, before walking passed the woman to the main hall. "Now where is that husband of yours? He is always such a hoot!"

Cassidy felt something drop in the pit of her stomach and immediately felt the longing to go home, climb into bed and sleep through the rest of the week.

* * *

Blaine wasn't exaggerating when he called Yellow one of the best Pokémon trainers ever. Within a day of training, Red's Oddish had evolved into a Gloom, making its sleep and poison powders even more powerful. Wartortle evolved into Blastoise as well, and though Red worried about not being able to control the giant turtle Pokémon, he was relieved when the water-type greeted him with a bro-fist. It was nice that his starter still held its fun-loving persona through all its evolutions.

For the other members of his team, Green's starter reached its final evolution quickly as well. With him already having a Golbat, that only left Green needing to focus on Pidgey, who flew through its levels and evolved into Pidgeotto. However, it didn't seem like it would be able to reach its ultimate goal of Pidgeot in time.

That wasn't the only problem facing the team. Though Riolu's intense bond with Blue allowed for it to grow into Lucario, without a Moonstone, Jigglypuff was simply becoming strong for a Jigglypuff, as opposed to Wigglytuff. This didn't seem to bother the teenage girl, who was too busy dealing with what may be their biggest handicap yet - Charmeleon's inability to evolve into Charizard.

"This isn't good," Green said to Red as they watched Yellow and Blue intensely battle in hopes of raising the fire-type's experience. "Having a Charizard on our side would really give us a huge advantage."

"Yeah, but we can't force it," Red said, crossing his arms over his jacket. "Pokémon aren't supposed to be used for stuff like this and if Charmeleon isn't ready to become Charizard, he shouldn't be forced to."

Green couldn't dispute that fact, but as he turned back to the two girls he couldn't help but worry. From under his hat, Pichu poked its head out and climbed down to Red's shoulder to enjoy the action. Green raised his eyebrow at the electric-type.

"You're seriously not going to try to evolve him to Pikachu?"

"Nope," Red said simply. "He doesn't want to."

"So you aren't training him at all?"

"Oh, we're training," Red said, flashing his friend a smile.

Their conversation was interrupted when Yellow's Golem sent Charmeleon flying across the snow, landing in a bank, its fiery tail in the air. Pulling its head out, the fire-type sat in the snow and punched the ground.

"CHAR!" it called in anger as it punched the ground again, tears building in its eyes. "CHAR! CHAR!"

"Hey!" Blue called, as she ran to her starter's side, wrapping her arms over its shoulders in an embrace. "Hey, it's alright, Charmeleon. You're doing, great!"

Yellow sent the boys a look that read,  _"If she says so."_ If Blue noticed, she didn't show it.

"C'mon," the brunette said, pulling Charmeleon to face her. "Let's take a break, ok? We'll feel better after dinner."

There was a sudden gust of wind and the four teens looked up to see Ash landing in the snow on his Charizard. Hopping off he greeted them, as Charizard leered down at Charmeleon. The smaller fire-type's eyes widened as he took a step back towards its trainer. Blowing duel smoke-rings from its nose, Charizard looked away with a grunt.

"Hey, behave!" Ash said, flicking the Pokémon before kneeling down to Charmeleon and scratching him behind the ear. "Don't worry about him, Charizard can take a while to warm up to others."

The man then turned to make his way into the cabin as Charizard flew off, presumably to nap within the warm confines of a nearby cave. Blue looked down to see Charmeleon staring intensely at the sky, as if trying to map a path to where the fire dragon had flown.

Ash passed the two teenage boys on his way inside, and waved politely. Green returned the greeting and noticed that to his side, Red was checking his Pokégear, even though it had no service and was basically a blank screen. When Ash had entered the cabin, Green not-so-subtly nudged his friend who didn't seem to care. Red was being sociable and a good team player, but that didn't mean he and his father were suddenly going to be best buddies.

* * *

That night Red couldn't sleep.

On the opposite side of his bed, Blue laid in a peaceful slumber. Since their heart-to-heart, she had been sharing his bed, and though she claimed it was because there were no other beds in the cabin, he knew Tauros shit when he smelled it. He knew their relationship was changing, but Red wasn't going to question it, especially when he enjoyed the way she would sometimes curl into him in the middle of the night. However, sharing a bed also meant that Red had to be extra careful when he got up because if there was one thing Blue hated more than anything, it was being woken up. Not wanting to deal with that, Red moved as if he was walking underwater, slowly and carefully.

He shut the door behind him quietly as he made his way down the stairs and towards the tiny kitchen. Pulling a juice box from the refrigerator, when he turned around after sitting at the table he saw his father standing at the stairs. Both Ketchums stared at each other, looking awkward and uncomfortable. With a nervous laugh, Ash was the one who spoke first.

"Couldn't sleep," he said in a low voice as he made his way to the chair opposite of Red. "Guess that's your reason too?"

Red remained quiet, instead choosing to sip his juice. If he could've, he would've walked back up to his room but his fear of being mauled by Blue outweighed his discomfort. They sat in silence, as Red finally took a good look at his father. As a kid, when looking at old photos Red had wondered if looking at Ash would be like looking at his future-self through a time machine, but he could see now that wasn't the case. Though Red inherited his features from his father, Ash's eyes and hair was much darker than his, who benefited from the splash of light attributes Misty's provided. Wearing a dark tank-top, Red also noted that Ash was broader than him compared to his thin and lanky frame. However, ironically it seemed that he did inherited his father's height, and much like him had been a late bloomer. Red had only hit his current height a year earlier, and his mother had teased that she was taller than Ash until their wedding day.

"Listen, I..." Ash's voice broke he silence before stopping, running a hand through his messy dark-hair. In the night light, Red saw the glimmer of a gold band - much like his mother, his father had kept his wedding ring on. "I know that sorry...you know...doesn't cut it."

Red raised an eyebrow, skeptically. Wow, his mother wasn't kidding when she said his father was a complete idiot. His mouth still on the plastic straw of his juice box, Red wondered what he would've said to that if he wasn't already so emotionally drained by this whole situation. The show in facial animation seemed to be enough of a cue for Ash to continue.

"I'm not usually good at this kind of stuff," he admitted with a sigh. "But I was thinking about what you said during the planning meeting - about what to do next. I just want you to know that I never wanted this life for you, but I appreciate you helping me with this."

Finishing its contents, Red crushed the cardboard box with his fist before setting it on the table forcefully. He turned to his father, eyes livid with anger.

"Let me just get one thing straight with you," he finally said in a low, but stern voice. "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for Mom. The second this is all over, we're over. I didn't need you for the last twelve years, and you'd be damned if I need you now."

Raising from his chair, Red made his way up the stairs, leaving Ash at the table alone with his crushed juice box.


	18. The Volunteer Pokémon House

Under the cover of night, the team made their way through the skies of Kanto. Holding on to Blaine's waist, Red joined the older man on his Talonflame as they and the rest of the party made their way towards a tiny house outside Celadon City to meet with one of the Underground's old connections. With so many Rocket and Plasma grunts littering Kanto, they knew better than to fly directly into the city. Instead they needed to spend the night at a safe house before driving into the city like a "normal" herd of teenagers enjoying the Rainbow Festival.

The day had started early, with everyone figuring out which flying-types they would be riding on. Red was easiest, choosing to partner with Blaine as if he was calling shotgun in a car. Sensing the discomfort, Blue had asked Ash to ride along with him on Charizard, pretending to be interested in the Pokémon. Though nobody really bought it, the effort was appreciated. That left Yellow and Green to figure out their situation, which proved to be more difficult than expected.

"I don't understand why I can't just take Pidgeotto," Green had said to Red in a low voice, his face slightly pink. "Riding along with Yellow on her Noctowl just feels so...weird."

"Why?" Red had whispered as Blue snuck into the huddle, much to his annoyance.

"Listen, you big baby," she hissed, turning to the green-eyed teen. "This is your chance to spend some quality time with Yellow! You do like her, right?"

"Wait, dude, you  _like_  Yellow?" Red had blinked, sticking his head up for a second to get a good look at the blonde before being pulled down forcefully by Blue. Green was too red to answer. "Then yeah, you should totally ride with her! C'mon!"

Green's face grew a darker shade of crimson and the two other teens figured they had to put matters in their own hands. Both taking hold of Green's shoulders, they pushed the catatonic teen towards Yellow who was preparing Noctowl for their journey. When the blonde saw the boy, her eyebrow rose.

"It's about time you got here, Oak," she said as she swung herself over the back of the large bird Pokémon. "I can't possibly protect you if you're off flying on your own, so please climb on."

"Oh, right," Blue said as she turned to Red with a smirk, pushing the taller teen towards the bird. "Your assignment to keep our little Green safe and sound."

"How convenient," Red had nodded, exchanging his own smarmy look with the brunette.

"I hate you guys," Green mumbled under his breath as he climbed on Noctowl behind Yellow.

"Hold on!" the blonde had called as Noctowl took off into the sky, Green taking hold to the tiny blonde awkwardly as they flew.

Still in the snow, Blue and Red had exchanged high-fives, proud of their work.

Now that the fleets were flying closer, Red was able to appreciate the view of not only his best friend attempting to act cool in front of the girl he liked (which was hilarious) but also the view of Kanto from above. The lights from the cities looked like tiny fireflies with the peaceful quiet of the night sky bringing along a strange serenity. The feeling reminded Red of swimming in the Cerulean Gym's main pool when he was the kid and how big it felt until his mother would pull him out.

At the memory of his mother, Red felt as if his heart was being wrapped in a barbed wire, stabbing him with each beat.

"It really is something, isn't it kid?" Blaine said, turning around to face Red who could only nod. "It's the best way for trainers to travel around - when you're not a wanted criminal, that is."

There was a whistle from Ash, gaining the attention of Blaine and Yellow. Making a downward motion with his hands, Ash's Charizard sped ahead of the group, making its way down to land. Yellow followed shortly after on Noctowl.

"Here's our stop, kid," Blaine said as Talonflame dipped from the sky. "Hold on!"

The three Pokémon swooped elegantly to the ground, landing in front of a small house along the route. From inside came an old, kind looking man with a cane. Instantly, Ash was off Charizard to greet the tiny elder.

"Mr. Fuji, you didn't have to come out here to greet us," he insisted as the old man gave him a long hug. "It's cold out here!"

"Nonsense, my boy," Fuji said with a laugh. "What kind of host would I be if I didn't come out to greet my guests?"

"Nice to see you're doing well, Fuji," Blaine said as he gave his own hug to the man.

"Same to you, Blaine," the older man said with a nod. "Still wearing those sunglasses at night I see?"

"I'm nothing if not consistent," the man joked, causing both to laugh.

"Mr. Fuji, you remember Yellow and Green, right?" Ash said motioning to the teens standing on the side. At hearing of their names, the teens made their way over to the older man.

"It is wonderful to see you well, Master Fuji," Yellow said with a bow, to which the man laughed.

"Oh my dear, how many times must I tell you that you needn't do such formalities for me?" Fuji laughed as he embraced the young girl warmly before turning to Green for a firm handshake. "Green, goodness looking at you it's no doubt you are an Oak! How is Samuel doing?"

"He's doing well in Goldenrod," Green said with a smile. "He still does his daily radio show, but he lives with my Aunt Daisy now."

"Good to hear," the old man said before turning to Red and Blue.

"And this is my son Red, and his friend Blue from Cerulean," Ash said, concluding the introductions. Red felt the barbed wire around his heart tighten when the word "son" left Ash's lips, but he put on a happy face for Mr. Fuji, who seemed to be a nice enough old man.

"It's very nice to meet you," Blue said with a smile as Red nodded, tipping his hat to the man before extending his hand for handshake. To his surprise, the old man took hold and pulled him close, inspecting him.

"Ah, I see," Fuji said when he was done. "You've inherited your father's passion, but your mother's thin frame. Looks like we're going to have to fatten you up, young man!"

Red laughed awkwardly - it wasn't the first time in his life that he was old he was too thin. His grandmother and aunts have always been on his case about his weight, though he always chalked it up to women always being obsessive with things like that. Soon, Fuji went over to Ash to talk privately and Red heard Blaine call him over.

"Hey kid," he said, his hands on his hips as he recalled Talonflame into its Poké Ball. "I got one more riddle for you before we're off. You ready?"

"Sure," Red said with a shrug and the man grinned from behind his sunglasses.

"Alright," he said before extending his index finger into the air. "For me, the thought is most important as I'm just as good given as I am received - what am I?"

The teenage boy took a moment to think, rubbing his chin as he mulled the riddle in hid mind.

"Oh, I know!" Red said, snapping his fingers quickly. "A present!"

"Bingo!" the old man said with a laugh. "Good to see you got your mother's wits about you, kid! She's always been a star when it comes to my radical riddles!"

Red again felt himself laughing awkwardly, not having the heart to tell Blaine that "radical" would not be the word he would use to describe such an annoying attribute of his personality.

"A present it is, and it's a present for you," Blaine said, as he handed Talonflame's Poké Ball to the teen. "Take good care of him, he's a good bird."

"Wow," Red said, looking down at the ball before looking back up at Blaine. "Are you sure? Thank you so much!"

"Of course, kid," Blaine said as he flicked the lip of Red's hat teasingly. "You need yourself a good fire-type and flying-type on your team, so here's a simple answer to that riddle!"

There was a whistle from Ash and the older man made his way to Charizard.

"Alright, we'll see you guys tomorrow night," Ash said as he made eye contact with Red, who quickly averted his gaze. Climbing onto Charizard he tipped his hat to the teens. "Good luck."

"And don't do anything I would do!" Blaine laughed as he hopped behind Ash, who rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Within a moment, the fire dragon was up and into the air, lost within the night sky of Kanto. Red felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him at the scene, but attempted to shrug it off.

"It's okay to feel a little anxious you know," Green said with a soft smile as he came up from behind his friend. "He is your dad, after all."

Red didn't reply, knowing better than to open that can of worms with Green and instead chose to turn around to enter the tiny house.

"I had to move the Volunteer Pokémon House from Lavender Town after the Rockets tore down the Pokémon Tower to build that wretched Radio Tower. Though it is a bit strange to have the Lavender Volunteer Pokémon House on Route 16," Fuji said as he opened the door. "It's not much, but it's home."

The house was small and cozy, and in the back was a tiny play area filled with tiny Growlithe, Mareep, Skitty and Whimsicott pups running around, awaken by the noise. Seeing the cute and fluffy Pokémon, Blue could barely hide the grin from her face and Red wondered if she was about to suffer from a cuteness overload.

"Ah! Mr. Fuji," she said, turning to the old man with such excitement the old man seemed startled. "D-do you think, I could...um..."

"Oh!" Fuji laughed as he motioned to the area. "Go right ahead, my dear! They love to be played with!"

"Yay!" Blue cheered as she linked her arm with Yellow. "C'mon, Yellow!"

"Ah, wait hold on!" the blonde gasped as the taller girl pulled her into the pen, holding onto her straw hat to keep it from flying off her head. From under Red's hat, Pichu poked out to jump towards the girls, riding along Yellow's shoulder to join in on the fun. The old man smiled at the exchange.

"These Pokémon have been abandoned or mistreated by trainers," he explained as the three men watched Blue and Yellow play with the tiny pups. "However, Pokémon and humans are meant to interact with each other, and sometimes something as simple as showing love and compassion even though you've been hurt is enough to undo the worse wrong."

"You don't say?" Green said, sending a look to Red who pretended to ignore it.

"On that same note, it makes me so happy that Yellow has found such kind friends," the old man said with a smile that reached up to his eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen her so happy."

"Oh, um...it's nothing," Green said with a blush and Red took the hint to pick up the conversation for his friend.

"Isn't she a little young to be fighting domestic Pokémon terrorists?" he said, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets as he watched Yellow play with Pichu. "What's her origin story?"

"Well, Yellow is an interesting one," Fuji said, leaning on his cane. "She was orphaned as a young girl and would often run into trouble - nothing bad mostly just mischievous behavior with her Doduo. Eventually, Officer Jenny grew annoyed at her antics and brought her into the station to set her with a local orphanage. At the time, I was in the station to sign papers regarding a new Pokémon I had taken in and saw the young girl. Needless to say, I came home that day with a finished paper work and Yellow."

"So, that makes you her guardian?" Red said, almost astonished.

"Technically, yes, but we never had a relationship like that," the old man continued, looking at the pen. "Much like the Pokémon I take in, I foster a loving environment for them to grow until they are strong enough to start their own journey. I did the same for Yellow, but often I wonder if it was a enough. She has always been such a blunt and direct girl, and I worried about her making friends. Even when she was older and traveled to Hoenn to study at Leader Roxanne's academy in Rustboro City I urged her to try to connect with people."

"Wow, she studied with Brock's wife?" Red said with a long whistle, impressed. Though only friends through his mother, Red knew Roxanne was no push over and her Trainer School was a breeding ground for elite trainers. No wonder she was so strong.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Fuji said snapping his fingers as he motioned for the boys to follow him into his study. "Come with me lads, there's something I wanted to show you."

The two teens followed Fuji into his study, standing in the middle of the room on an area rug as the man rummaged through his desk to pull out a framed picture. Resting his cane against this desk, his took the picture in his hands and blew dust on it forcefully before taking his cane and making his way to the boys.

"One of the girls who volunteers here found this while cleaning," he explained as he handed the picture to Green who held it out for Red to see. The picture was a crowd shot, taken in front of what looked like an older version Oak Laboratory in Pallet Town. "It's one of the only photos left from the early days of the Underground. From left to right we have Brock and his brother Forrest - goodness, Forrest must've been around your age at this time. Then you have Whitney, she's the Gym Leader of Goldenrod, and Sabrina, you know her from Saffron, I'm sure. Next to them is Blaine when he used to wear that terrible wig, and in front of him you have May and Max Maple-"

"Who?" Green interrupted, not recognizing the duo and Fuji smiled sadly.

"The children of Norman, the Petalburg City Gym Leader," he explained. "They were both killed shortly after this photo was taken. They were good friends of your father, Red."

Red remained quiet, not that he would exactly know much about his father's life.

"Ah, where was I? Oh yes, next we have a much younger and better looking Mr. Fuji and Sam Oak, with the always lovely Delia Ketchum. Next to her is-" Fuji stopped when he noticed the boys' faces. Red felt his jaw clench as he looked at the smiling picture of his parents, over a decade younger, with Misty holding a sleepy baby with unruly dark hair as Ash wrapped one arm around his wife and another around Gary, who held his arm around a very pregnant looking Jasmine.

"Geez, even Grandma was in on this," Red attempted to joke, but the emotion in his voice weighed it down.

"I always found it funny that you two boys were born so close to each other," Mr. Fuji smiled sadly. "Leave it to your fathers to compete over whose child was older."

"They're so young," Green managed, his voice breaking slightly.

"And happy," Red added, his voice equally strained.

The old man sighed as he nodded sadly, staring at the photo and remembering better times.

Later, the teens sat with the old man as they ate a small dinner, listening to stories from the early days of the Underground as well as some stories from Yellow's childhood.

"Oh, there was also that time when Yellow was a little girl and wanted to go swimming in the water along Route 12," Fuji smiled as the blonde girl tried to hide her face in her hat.

"Master Fuji, noooo!" she begged as she leaned into Blue's arm who was enjoying the spectacle.

"What happened?" Green asked, enjoying the tales more than anyone.

"Well, she had seen the local boys take off their shirts to jump into the water in their shorts," the old man grinned. "So she figured going topless was fine, even for a young lady."

"Gahhh!" Yellow groaned as the three teens bursted into laughter.

"Wow, Yellow," Red teased from his seat. "I didn't take you for the exhibitionist type!"

"Quiet, Ketchum!" she groaned, her red face still buried in Blue's arm as if it could hide her from the embarrassment. "Just wait until we rescue Leader Misty, I am going to make you rue the day you were even born!"

"Now, now, Yellow," Fuji said as he softly patted the blonde on the top of her hands. "It's not a big deal, the boys didn't even realize you were a girl - they thought you were just one of the guys!"

With another anguished groan, Yellow pulled her hat over her eyes as her friends doubled over in laughter.

"Well, it's getting late," Fuji said, looking at the clock on the wall. "You kids should get to bed, you'll need to be up bright and early tomorrow to get to Celadon."

The teens nodded, thanking the old man for his kindness as they made their way upstairs. Out of habit, Blue made a motion to follow Red into his room, but was stopped by the old man grabbing her by the elbow.

"Nah uh," he said with an impish smile, wagging his index finger. "Young men and women sleep in separate rooms! I may be an old man, but I still know what goes on behind closed doors when young people are left to their own devices."

Red and Blue felt the heat rise in their face, both turning to their respective rooms with a nod and nothing more. Lazily, Green and Yellow followed, pausing to exchange goodnights.

"By the way, those stories weren't  _that_  embarrassing," Green smiled at the blonde. "Believe me, my dad has an entire arsenal of mortifying stories from when I was a kid. Like when I was eleven I had a wear a headgear for a few months and he made sure to take as many pictures as possible."

"Really?" Yellow said with a small smile as she turned around to the room she was sharing with Blue. "Now I'm going to have to see them so we're even! Night, Oak."

"Night, Yellow," Green said with a grin that he was sure was goofy. When he turned to enter his own room he saw Red making a smooched face at him, mimicking loud kissing noises teasingly. The spiky-haired teen replied with a swift kick to the head.


	19. Celadon City

Red yawned and stretched as he walked out of the house early the next morning. Leaning against the front of the house, he waited for the others to make their way downstairs. Usually being the one of the group who enjoyed sleep the most, Red took a little pride in being ready before everyone else. Under his hat, he felt the tiny breaths of Pichu, its snores ruffling his hair slightly.

"Good morning, Red," Fuji said, the sound of his cane hitting the ground grabbing Red's attention beforehand. "Enjoying the view?"

"A little," the young man said, sending a polite smile the old man's way. "Thank you again for letting us stay here and getting a car ready for us."

"Oh, my boy, it's nothing," the old man laughed, leaning over his cane. "I owe so much more to your father than a spare room and a broken-down, old car."

Red felt himself stiffen looking away from Fuji, he attempted to cover his discomfort with nervous laughter like usual.

"Ah, so I was correct," Fuji said with a knowing smile, cutting through Red's facade like butter.

"What do you mean?"

"You and your father," the old man said, raising his hand to make the motion of his index and middle finger separating. "Are not exactly simpático, yes?"

Red remained silent, the wire around his heart binding ever tighter.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Uh...sure, go for it." Red answered, hoping his voice wasn't too abrasive.

"How do you feel about your father?"

The young man froze, his attention switching towards the older man so quickly that his hat almost flew off his head. Red swallowed hard, as the question was a loaded one but also something nobody had ever asked him before. Everyone always assumed his feelings, which he knew was his own fault for never properly expressing them. But now that he was actually directly asked, he couldn't even formulate it.

"I don't really know," his voice broke, as he stuck his hands in his pocket. "The easy answer would be that I'm still hurt that he left Mom and me, but that's not just it. I'm also angry as hell that he didn't, I dunno...seem to care. That it was just so easy for him to up and go and never come back."

"Was it?"

Red blinked and the old man smiled sadly.

"It's understandable," Fuji continued, looking away from Red and up towards the morning sky breaking through. "It's impossible for people to ever really know what others are truly feeling. The relationship between parents and children is that constant struggle - we're raised by these people and they've been part of our lives since the beginning, but we've only come into theirs a third of the way through. Our parents had lives before us, but then we're born and we're the center of their world, but that world before our birth is still there, and sometimes things happen."

"So, you're saying I should forgive my father for not giving a crap about me because he's out there saving the world?" Red said, brows furrowed.

"Oh no, child, quite the opposite" Fuji laughed, turning back to the boy. "You and your mother are the most important people to your father, so doesn't that make you wonder what it took for him to be preyed away from a family he loved so dearly?"

"Master Fuji!" Yellow called from inside the house and the old man winked at Red before turning into the house.

Red sighed, sliding down the side of the house to sit on the grass. A few moments later, Blue bursted out, her jeans and sweater replaced with a sundress and sandals. Her long hair swung in a braid that reached the bottom of her back.

"You look nice," he said and she turned around on her heel to face him. "I mean, considering we're about to crash a gala and jail break most of Kanto's Gym Leaders."

"Wow, you know just how to compliment a lady," she smiled, walking over and a taking a seat near the boy, her arms wrapped under her knees to keep her bottom unexposed. "Yellow and Green are trying to find the keys for the car, so we're obviously super prepared for this whole espionage thing."

"Seems so," he said, enjoying how warm her arm felt against his in the cool morning. "How was last night?"

"It was okay, Yellow didn't say much about Green so that was a bummer, but she isn't really the gossip type. I think she likes him though, y'know in her own way."

Red nodded. That wasn't really what he meant when he asked about the night before, but again that was his own fault. He was bad at being direct and asking Blue if she missed sharing a bed with him was way above his level.

"Is something wrong?" he heard her asked and he was ripped from his thoughts.

"Uh, nothing more than usual," he said, attempting to joke. Lucky for him, Green and Yellow came out of the house, with Mr. Fuji on their tales. Green was wearing a beanie and hoodie, which Red knew was to hide his spiky chestnut hair during their travel but still looked way too hot for a summer day. Behind him Yellow's blonde hair was tied in a messy bun, lifted above her tank-top, shorts and sandals - a surprisingly feminine look for the usually androgynous girl.

"I dressed her today," Blue whispered and instantly the world made sense again. At least the outfit wasn't frilly and pink.

"I told you the keys were between the sofa cushions, Oak," Yellow said with her usual even tone as she threw an oversize bag into the trunk. "It would be wise to listen to me next time."

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, Mr. Fuji," Green said, ignoring the blonde with great exasperation and turning to the old man. "We really appreciate it."

"Of course, Green," Fuji said as the teenager leaned down to hug the man. "I'm just happy I could help."

Seeing that they were setting off, Red and Blue rose from their seats to embrace the kind old man. Yellow was the last, who ran to Fuji, bowing deeply before the old man smothered the girl into as much of a bear hug as he could manage.

"Alright, let's hit the road!" Red cheered with newfound energy, punching his palm before making the motion to take the keys from Green, who swiftly grabbed the dark-boy's hand and squeezed hard. "OW!"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm driving," Green said as he unlocked the driver's side of the tiny white car. "You can ride shotgun, though."

Red pouted as he tried to open the door, only to see that Green had "forgotten" to unlock it. After a few attempts, he finally got it opened and sat with his arms crossed, obviously annoyed.

"Aww, widdle Reddy didn't like my joke," Green cooed, reaching over to pinch the dark-haired boys cheek, teasingly. "That's for yesterday, asshat."

"Blue did it, too," Red pouted, kicking his feet up on the dashboard as the girls climbed inside the car, seemingly unaware of the two boys squabbling.

"All set?" Green said, looking at the rearview mirror to make sure Blue and Yellow were in alright. When Blue gave the thumbs up, he turned on the ignition and the car made a noise that didn't sound anything like a car starting followed by silence. The four teens exchanged looks before looking at Mr. Fuji who simply shrugged from his place in front of the house. Turning back to the car, Green tried again, and after a few long seconds the engine finally rolled. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as Green pulled away from the house and onto Route 16.

"Hope that is not a sign," Yellow said quietly, though everyone heard it and pretended to ignore it.

* * *

It seemed that Yellow wasn't wrong in her assumption that Murphy's Law was in effect during the early stages of their plan. It only took a few hours for them to reach the checkpoint into Celadon City, but nearing the booth Red noticed Green's brows were knitted together.

"What's up?" Red said, sitting up to look out the window to see grey cars parked along the shoulder of the route. "Wait, those aren't normal Police cars."

"No, they're not," Green said, turning back to the road and looking up at Yellow through the rearview mirror. "Are those Plasma guys?"

Yellow nodded slowly as Green cursed under his breath. Red exchanged a look with Blue before turning back to the boy, "Uh, what does that mean?"

"It means they're probably running this checkpoint for the Rockets," Yellow explained as Green stared at the road ahead of him, pulling the car into the long line before the checkpoint booth. "Oak, give me your Pokédex."

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in the rearview mirror as the car ahead of him moved up. "Why?"

"Because when they check that and see that you're Green Oak this grand scheme of yours will end right here," she frown, hand outstretched. "You two, too. Give them to me."

Raising his butt from his seat, Green reached into his back pocket and pulled out the small red device. He handed it to the blonde over his shoulder as Red and Blue did the same. Another car pulled ahead, "Hurry up, we're getting closer."

With a nod, Yellow took the three devices and instantly connected them with a tiny wire to a mini-computer. As she rapped on buttons, Blue raised an eyebrow, "Who taught you how to hack a Pokédex?"

"Clemont, the Gym Leader from Lumoise City," the blonde answered as she looked between the screen of her computer and the red devices.

"Lemme guess, another Underground connection?" Red threw over his shoulder.

Yellow nodded as the car jerked forward again, Green's finger began to rap on the steering wheel as they grew ever closer to the booth, "We're four cars away."

The girl ignored him as she continued to tap on her computer, and Red felt something touch the fingers of the hand that was slacking between his seat and the divider. He looked down to see that it was Blue's hand, he squeezed it lightly.

"Three cars," Green said, pushing forward, the key tapping still going.

The silence grew thick, the rumbling of the car's old engine seeming louder than ever. There was another jerk forward.

"Two cars."

The typing stopped and everyone held their breath, only to release it a moment later when Yellow's frantic typing continued.

"One car," Green said, turning around to the girl. "Yellow, come-"

He was silenced when the blonde shoved the Pokédex in his face, her face stoic. "Eyes on the road,  _Shigeru_."

Green took the device, looking at it before making a face at the blonde, "Really? Japanese?"

"What kind of name is Satoshi?" Red said, raising an eyebrow at his own Pokédex, which he swiped from the blonde. "Isn't that the name of that green video game dinosaur?"

"Stop it, you two," Blue scolded pointing at the road from the backseat. "We're next, so pull up, Shigeru."

Green turned back to the road and with a deep breath moved up, rolling down his window to see a man with red hair, gray fatigues and black vest with the blue and silver Plasma logo. On his head he wore a black beret.

"Good afternoon," he greeted, friendly enough for a grunt. "You kids here for the Rainbow Festival?"

"You bet," Green said with a smile, knowing better than to test his acting chops again and kept his sentences short and sweet.

"Great, Pokédex please."

Everyone gave their devices to Green who handed them to the man. They all waited patiently as he scanned each one, and Red felt Blue's hand return to his, her fingers trembling between his nervously. Yellow seemed to be the only one with a solid poker face. Soon, the grunt returned with their Pokédex.

"All set," he said with a smile. "You guys came all the way here from New Bark? Hope it's worth the trip!"

Green smiled and nodded as he pulled into Celadon City, feeling as if he just dropped a thousand pound weight from his shoulder. Once he pulled in and was in city limits he glared at the blonde from the rearview mirror.

"Johto?" he scolded. "Was that really necessary?"

"I figured it would behoove us in the future to have the option to cross borders without going through that again," Yellow explained, calmly. "You should at least thank me for saving your butt again, Shigeru."

"Thank you," Green sighed, turning to park the car behind an old warehouse on the east side of the city, close enough to the Game Corner. "And we're not making that a thing, so stop calling me that."

"Sorry, Shigeru-chan," Red said, batting his eyelashes at the boy.

"Shut up, Yoshi," Green said, as he "accidentally" locked the boy's door from his driver side as he exited the car.

* * *

Once everyone was accounted for, Yellow popped the trunk of the car to reveal the oversize bag she packed.

"That looks like that monstrosity Red's Grandmother made us carry from Pallet," Blue said, making a face. "Have we been carrying a body this whole time?"

"No, bodies are lighter," Yellow said as she pulled out the bag. She looked around to see that the three teens were staring at her, blank-faced. "That was a joke."

They laughed nervously as the blonde turned to Green who pulled his map of Celadon City and spread it across the rear of the car.

"So, Red and Blue, you're going to infiltrate the Game Corner Gala," Green explained, pointing to the map. "While Yellow and I stay on the outside until you're able to get Gloom and Jigglypuff to cause a mass evacuation of the building."

"Don't do it right away, though," Yellow interjected. "Your Pokédex will get you in with the fake names I programmed, but you're probably going to be one of the younger ones there. Try to gain some intel before you strike. Wait until we give you the signal to gas and put everyone to sleep that should be the time when you steal grunts card keys, since that's when they'll be deployed."

"We're going to wait for Ash and Blaine to start causing hell in the main building," Green added. "Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, you'll probably want to change clothes of the grunts whose card keys you steal."

"Why?" Red asked, not liking the idea of stripping some random dude and taking his clothes.

"Well, it's going to be pretty hard to run around in a suit and tie," Green shrugged and suddenly something clicked in Red's head.

"Wait...we need to be dressed up for this crap?" he said, his face falling in disdain.

"Um, yeah?" Blue said, sending a look at the dark-haired teen. "Red, it's gala, these things are fancy as hell."

"Yeah but it's in a casino!"

"You dress up for casinos too, dummy," Blue said, slapping her head in anguish as Red groaned in protest.

"We're not changing the plan now just because you don't want to dress like a big boy, Red," Green said, the familiar tone of exhaustion filling his tone. "Anyway, we're going to communicate with each other through a headset that connects to your Pokégear."

"Oh, very espionage-y!" Blue said with childish excitement. "Do we get to use code names, too?"

"Since the channel will only be accessible to the four of us, that isn't necessary," Yellow explained. "However, you need to pay attention to us when we're in your ear since Oak and myself will be the bridge between your team and Leader Ash and Blaine. Once we're all in together, we'll be able to free the prisoners and escape through the Rocket Enterprise main building. "

"So that's basically it," Green said with a shrug. "Go in, look good, wait for our signal, gas everyone, and break into the interment building. Easy peasy."

* * *

Preparation for the party was just as painful as Red knew it would be. Taken to one end of the old warehouse by Green, who held a handful stuff from Yellow's oversized bag of mysteries, the boys bunkered down and quickly Pichu jumped from Red' head, taking his hat with him. The dark-haired boy soon found out the the mysterious stuff was actually a suit, as well as socks, shoes and various other things that men usually wear to not look like slobs at galas. During the prep, at one point Green commented that Red was "lucky" to not have to worry about shaving, since he couldn't grow a beard if he tried. After what seemed like a half-bottle of hair gel, Red's hair was tamed though he thought he was done, but when he went to take his hat from Pichu, Green intercepted.

"No!" the green-eyed boy said, snatching the hat away and hitting Red on the arm with it. "No hats at galas!"

"But what about Pichu," he demanded, pointing at the electric-type that was currently staring at Red's hat, teary-eyed. "That's where he goes!"

"Sorry, but for this he need to be in a ball," Green said, taking the hat and throwing it into the pile of stuff on the ground. Pichu made a squeaky noise in argument before sighing and turning to its trainer, paws in the air dramatically as if ready to be handcuffed.

"You're not going into jail!" Green shot at the tiny yellow mouse, who stuck its tongue out at the boy as the red light of the Poké Ball captured it.

"Electric mice don't like Poké Balls," the dark-haired boy said, sticking the ball onto his belt holster. "That's even true for the Pikachu my Da-" Red stopped instantly, face crimson as he turned to pretend he was adjusting his tie. If circumstances were different, Green would've pried, but right now he had to bigger fish to fry.

"Hey, Oak!" he heard Yellow call. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah," Green replied, gathering the stuff from the floor. "We'll meet you out front."

Moments later, Green and Red sat out front waiting. The dark-haired teen kept checking his watch, they still had time before the party but Blue was taking forever. Eventually Yellow came out, looking like a woman who had been put through the ringer.

"She is 'just finishing up her make-up', allegedly," Yellow said, taking the clothes from Green and throwing them in the bag. "There are some things in this world I will never understand, and eyeliner is one of them."

"That makes three of us," Green joked, taking the bag from Yellow and throwing it in the back of the car before leaning against the door. "Oh, here she comes!"

Sticking his hands in his the pockets of his slacks, Red turned around and instantly stopped as Blue slowly made her way to the group, in a simple black gown that she kept from tripping over by holding onto its hem. Feeling his face warm up to his ears, Red looked away, coveirng his face with his hands. Around him, Green and Yellow ran to girl's side, helping her walk along the gravel in her heels.

"Wow, Blue," Green said, taking the girl by the hand and twirling her. "You look amazing!"

"You think so?" Blue said with a smile, her hair tied in an updo on her head. "I was worried that Daisy's dress would be too big on me."

"It is a little long, but I think it looks suitable," Yellow smiled, and turned to face Red. "Okay Ketchum, let's get go-"

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the dark-haired boy was already in the car, waiting to go.

"Well, at least he appears more eager now," she said, turning to Green who shrugged before helping Blue to the car.


	20. The Game Corner

"Heads or tails?"

The question floated in air, bouncing off the walls of the cell before landing with a thud in Misty's ears. It had been over a week since she was thrown into being cellmates with Gary Oak, and frankly she was ready to kill him.

"No more," the redhead groaned, burying her face in her knees as if that could hide her from the man currently flipping a coin from his thumb. "No more head or tails."

During the shift change, one of the Rocket grunts had dropped the coin and of course Gary made a big deal of snatching it and making a game out of it because he was Gary Oak, the most obnoxious human being on the planet. It only took a few days for Misty to lose her patience with the man, whose incessant optimism and positivity was enough to make her want to puke - and she had married Ash Ketchum.

"Why are you so peppy, Oak?" came Surge's rough voice from the cell across from them. In the back, his cellmate Janine was currently meditating, which Misty assumed was her means of coping with Gary. "Is it 'cause they haven't beat the snot out of you this week?"

"Nope," the man grinned, flipping the coin high before snatching it mid-air. "Just got a good feeling about tonight."

"Tonight? What's so special about tonight?"

"It's that stupid party all the grunts are excited about," came Janine's voice, taking a moment from spiritual enlightenment to join in on the conversation. "He's hoping something is going to happen tonight."

"Listen, Little Miss Namaste," Gary said, flipping the coin in the air again. "I don't  _hope_ , I  _know_."

Unfortunately, Misty did too and she had just as strong a feeling as Gary that her husband would try something obviously stupid and reckless that night, causing her stomach to tie itself into knots. She was broken by her thoughts as she heard Gary ask the same question he had been asking the last few days.

"Fine, tails!" she shot, at her wits end. Across from her, the man caught the coin mid-air, slapping it on the top of his hand. After a moment of "suspense," he lifted his hand with a smirk.

She had called correctly.

* * *

Red wasn't exaggerating when he said he was raised by the Sensational Sisters. As close as he was with his mother, it was his aunts who taught him how to tap into an inner charisma that he knew he didn't inherit from his father. It began as a game when he was a kid, with him and Blue going up to passersby in Cerulean City and adorably telling them about the upcoming water ballet at the Cerulean Gym. As he got older, the same smile and pandering gained him quite a bit of popularity in school, though he never really acted on it. By the time hit his teen years, his charm was like a switch, instantly masking any of his bad days with what his aunts called "a sensational smile."

Though the entire charade always drove Misty crazy, Red was a little proud of himself as he sweet talked the cute, blonde waitress who apparently also worked for Rocket Enterprise. The irony of the situation was not lost to him. As he slyly pick-pocketed the blonde, taking her card key as if it was from his own pocket, he played along as she tapped his chin and promised to "swing over later." His facade must've been good, as during the entire ordeal Red's attention was mostly fixated on Blue, who was currently leaning against one of the many bars, her chest purposely pressed as the obviously smitten bartender pretended not to notice.

 _"Green is a terrible color on you, Red,"_  came Green's voice from his earpiece and instantly Red was brought back to the situation at hand. Grabbing another glass of mysterious brown alcohol from a passing waitress (this one an ebony haired beauty), Red hid his moving mouth behind the glass touching his lips.

"I got a card key," he said, ignoring the previous comment as he knew Blue was just as tuned into the earpiece as the other two were. "None of the grunts are in their suits here, though. I guess they're all out here on catering duty."

 _"Don't worry, they will be once the fireworks start,"_  Green's voice came again, and Red could hear the smile in his best friend's voice. " _Ah, it seems Ms. Blue got herself a card too, excellent."_

Red ignored the comment, and as he and Blue briefly made eye-contact he felt his skin began to warm. He knew it wasn't from the watered-down garbage they were serving. Though completely caught by her beauty earlier, as they had entered the gala Red had done what he did best - overcompensated his feelings by acting like a complete idiot.

When asked by Blue what he thought of her long, dark gown, even though Red wanted to tell her she looked beautiful and elegant, he only managed an "Yeah, you look okay." Earning him his very own pissed off Blue who was currently overly flirting with her "targets" simply to get back at him. Though annoyed, Red was competitive by nature and went off to find another waitress to woo in Blue's presence.

From her side of the ballroom, Blue gracefully left the still-swooning bartender with a wink to turn to the rest of the party. From the corner of her eye, she caught Red smiling and chatting to group of girls who weren't even Rockets. Feeling herself prickle, she turned toward the dance floor, hoping to find a new score surrounded by several slot machines and roulette tables.

 _"Blue, Red, maybe you should focus more on the targets at hand than trying to out-sass each other?"_  came Yellow's voice from the headphone, and in her rage Blue shut her Pokégear off entirely, pulling it from her ear and sticking it beneath the bosom of her dress, like the lady she was.

Somehow through this sea of people, Blue managed to pick out a familiar head of green hair. Taking the hem of her gown into her hand, the brunette made her way toward the boy, gaining his attention by lightly tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hi N," she smiled when the older teen turned around. "Remember me?"

"Ah, the girl from the strange name club!" N said with a smile as he quickly gathered Blue up in an embrace that was rather bold for a second encounter. "Blue, yes?"

"Yes," she said, nodding as if she were in grade school. "What are you doing here? You enjoy moon rocks  _and_  gambling?"

"Oh...my father has business relations with Rocket Enterprise," the boy said, his stare incredibly potent as Blue felt herself get lost in his seemingly bottomless green eyes. "It can be rather…"

"Boring?" Blue offered and the boy's attention perked as he attempted to smile, though it seemed unnecessarily forced. "Dull? Coma-like sleep inducing?"

"I was going to say lonely, but I suppose those work as well."

"Ah, N there you are," came a voice and Blue turned to see an older man with green-hair who must've been N's father. "I've been looking everywhere for you, my boy. Oh, but I see you've found yourself a pretty lady then, hm?"

"Uh...yes, father," N said, turning to Blue taking her by the hand, causing the girl to blush. "This is Blue, I met her while I was visiting the Pewter City Museum last month."

Really, it had only been a month? So much had happened since obtaining her Boulder Badge that Blue had lost track of time.

"Very nice to meet you," the green-haired man said and Blue curtsied politely. "My name is Ghetsis, I'm N's father. Well, I'd hate to bore you kids any further and I'm on my way out for some air - enjoy the party!"

N's intense stare followed his father as he walked away from them, only to snap back to Blue once the orchestra began to play. After a few moments of heavy (and kind of awkward) silence, he smiled.

"Would you like to dance with me, Blue?"

"Oh! Um...sure?" Blue said, taking the boy's hand gingerly. "Just so you're prepared, I've never done this before. I'm sorry to your feet in advance."

"My...feet?" N echoed and after a beat an enormous smile spread across his face. "You're still so cute!"

Blue felt her face heat as N turned to her, taking hold of her hand and leaving another on her waist as the music waltzed on.

"We'll do a simple box step," he assured her as he smiled, leading them. "It's simple, just follow me. You just step forwards with your left foot, then step to right side with your right foot. Perfect! Now let's move backwards - excellent!"

As he spoke, Blue felt N's hold on her tighten with his own excitement. Though incredibly weird, she had to admit there was something oddly alluring about the mysterious teen. She was just about to ask him more about himself when the song ended and N's attention was taken by someone tapping him on the shoulder. Looking over, Blue instantly recognized the face of Red.

"Evening," he smiled, motioning to Blue's hand. "Mind if I cut in?"

"Oh, of course," N said, before turning to Blue, taking her hand with a bow. "Until next time, Blue."

"Uh, yeah," she said as N walked away and felt Red take hold of her hand, pulling her much closer than N had.

"Hey, princess," he grinned and instantly she knew how pissed he was. "Having fun being the belle of the ball?"

"Maybe," Blue mumbled, turning away as Red lead them through another dance. "Did you enjoy flirting to those random hussies?"

"No, I rather have been with someone else," he said, his anger cooling slightly as he spun her around. As he pulled her back towards him, Blue felt her heart skip. She always forgot that he was way more graceful than his lazy facade liked to portray. "Sorry for before. You...you look beautiful."

"Thanks," she answered, looking away slightly. "I'm sorry for starting a fight with you."

"Well, that's good," he said, and though she was forgiven she knew his temper still was there in his words. "See, because I was on this mission to take card keys from Rockets so we could continue this silly little plan. Not that you would know about that-"

Blue's breath caught in her throat as Red pulled her earbud from the chest of her dress, knowing full-well the nerve to do so was from the faux-bravery from his seething anger prior. He placed it in her ear gently before lowing his other hand on her waist, his finger resting on the power switch beneath her gown. He leaned against her face, his breath hot against her ear.

"And don't be stupid with strangers," he whispered, and part of her couldn't help but notice the spice of jealousy in his voice. His finger flicked the power switch on her Pokégear and instantly Yellow's voice was blaring in her ear.

_"KETCHUM, YOU BETTER GET BLUE BACK ON THIS FREQUENCY THIS INSTANT OR SO HELP ME I WILL DRAG OAK DOWN FROM THIS VENT AND HAVE HIS VENUSAUR SOLAR BEAM YOU BOTH INTO THE NEXT CENTURY!"_

"Chill, she's back," Red said, his mouth close enough to Blue's ear that to everyone else it looked as if he was talking to her and not the two teenagers currently navigating the vents above the casino's main area.

"Sorry, my headphone slipped," Blue lied and by the 'humph!' noise from Yellow on the other end, it seemed to suffice. As the music stopped, Blue and Red's attention was brought to the stage where Butch, Cassidy and Erika stood. After a few moments of applause (which Butch could not join considering his lack of limb) the blue-haired man silenced the room so he could start a long and boring speech about how excited he was to partner his obviously disguised crime syndicates with one of the biggest cities in Kanto.

"This is the worse," Red murmured and Blue couldn't help but agree. "Green, what's the situation with our neighbors?"

 _"You should be hearing their entrance in about,"_  Green's voice drawled, his voice echoed by vent. " _3...2...1..."_

There was a crash a heard next door and instantly all the attendees looked around for the source of the noise. There was another crash, this one sounding like the blast of an explosion.

_"And boom! That would be the sound of Blaine's Magmortar blasting through the middle of the building. Are Cassidy and Butch panicking yet?"_

"Not openly, but Cassidy just excused herself," Blue said, watching the stage. "Butch is trying to play it off as a special effect of the night. Erika is still up there."

"Should we get into position?" Red asked, looking around to see the waiters and waitresses seemingly disappear into the walls.

_"Yes, follow the two grunts with the cards you stole and take their uniforms. Before you enter the rooms, though, strike."_

"And you'll be okay up there?"

_"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Hit it."_

"Got it," Red said and instantly him and Blue were traveling through the sea of people, unseen in plain sight due to the crowd. As they neared the secret entrance they saw the grunts enter as a group, Red reached onto his belt as Blue pulled Jigglypuff's ball from her garter holster. Blushing slightly, his voice broke. "Ready?"

Blue nodded and tossed her ball behind her as they entered the room to see a handful of grunts, including their two targets from earlier, mid-dressed and shocked.

"Hey there, guys," Red smirked, pulling Pichu's ball from his hip before any of the grunts could even find their own Poké Balls. Within seconds the electric-type had stunned the group with a thunder wave attack. Grabbing a uniform from each sex, Red and Blue booked it down the hall, turning in to a corner to change quickly.

"Don't look!" Blue shot over her shoulder as she shimmed out of her dress, and Red felt his face warm.

"Pfft! I have better things to do than creep on you," he shot back as he undid his shirt and tie before jumping into the uniform's pants and top. Grabbing the hat, Red frowned slightly before Pichu jumped on his head and he topped himself with the cap. _  
_

"You can't possibly be picky about the _hat_ ," Blue said, rolling her eyes as she adjusted her skirt. "Wow, you can totally tell Butch and Cassidy are bad guys because only a super villain would force girls to run around in mini-skirts."

Once they were settled, the two teens sprinted down the hallway to find the internment level.

Meanwhile, back in the main hall, Green and Yellow watched from the vent as Jigglypuff made its way to through crowd. It seemed as if everyone forgot about the blast as Butch continued his speech, though Erika looked less and less comfortable on the stage.

"I almost looks kind of fun down there," Green said, turning to the blonde next to him. "I mean, circumstances aside."

"Perhaps," Yellow said, with a nod. "Blue looked very nice in your aunt's dress. I'm sure you found her very attractive."

"Uh...I mean, sure since that was part of the plan," the boy said, his cheeks growing hot. "But...uh...Blue isn't the girl I...um...find most attractive."

Yellow remained quiet for a moment and Green felt his heart jump into his throat. Finally, the girl turned and made eye-contact with him, looking intense before she spoke.

"Well, after this you must introduce her to me - I need to approve her for security reasons," she said, completely serious. "You are my assignment after all."

Green felt himself almost face-fault, leave it to Yellow to completely misunderstand his compliment. He was broken from his thoughts when the girl tapped him on the shoulder and pointed out of the vent. From the tiny slivers, the teens watched as the round pink Pokémon jumped on stage, avoiding Butch's grasp as it grabbed his microphone.

"Alright, here we go," Green said, handing the blonde a pair of ear-plugs. Also seeing what attack Jigglypuff was about to preform, Butch sprinted off the stage and into the back-room of the hall, trampling over people as he went. Erika reached out to fairy-type, but it was too late - the song had already started.

_Jigg-a-ly-ypuff, jiggly, jigglypuff. Jigg-a-ly-ypuff, Jiggly!_

The teens watched as the attendees of the party fell one by one, including the Celadon City gym leader. Once the song had ended, they removed their ear-plugs and with a swift kick, Green broke through the ceiling and landed on the floor. Hopping from above, Yellow jumped into his embrace.

"Good job, Jigglypuff!" the blonde said to Jigglypuff as she climbed from Green's arms, completely unaware of how deeply he was blushing.

"Jiggly!" the pink Pokémon cheered, proud of itself as Yellow pet it.

"Okay, let's get Erika out of here and then meet up with the others," Green said as they ran to Erika's side. Luckily, the woman was tiny and Green was able to carry her on his back as they sprinted to the front. They barely exited the Game Corner when they were face-to-face with Officer Jenny and her men who were called due to the ongoing blasts in the Rocket Enterprise building next door. In the corner of his eye, Green was able to make out the smoke and destruction no doubt caused by Blaine and Ash's Pokémon.

"Hold it right there, kids!" Jenny yelled, running over to Green to take the gym leader from his back. "What are you doing?!"

"We saw that there was trouble so we ran inside to help," Yellow said, her acting far better than Green's. "There are people still inside, but I think something happened as they all collapsed!"

"Right," the blue-haired officer said, sending a signal to her men. "You kids better get out of here, this is no place to play hero."

Stepping aside to let the police through, Green and Yellow waited for them to pass before quickly making their way to the back of the building, climbing over a fence and being lucky enough that all of the Rocket's grunts were currently in the second building. Seeing the back entrance, Yellow pulled out her tiny computer again and this time connected it to the card detector. Within a moment, the lock was broken and the door opened to reveal an elevator. Taking Jigglypuff into his arms, Green followed Yellow inside as they dropped down low to where his father and the other were hopefully being held.


	21. Rocket Enterprise

"Hey Yellow," Ash said into his transmitter as Blaine ran ahead of him to take out some Rocket guards. "We're in."

_"Excellent, I'll let Oak know."_

"You look happy, Boss." Blaine's gruff voice rose over the crashing sound of Magmotar's attacks as they ran through the halls of the Rocket Enterprise building.

"Heh, you think so?" Ash grinned as Charizard performed another fire blast, sending a bunch of grunts running. The dark haired man adjusted his hat as Pikachu rested on his shoulder.

"Yeah, for the first time in forever you actually look like you have your head in the game," the old man said as they sprinted through the hall, Charizard flying above them - thank god for Butch's ridiculous vision for their headquarters to have high-ceilings. "Could it be because Daddy's proud of that his little boy is taking down the Big Ol' Evil Criminal Corporation?"

"Shut up," Ash's voice broke as he pulled Snorlax's ball from his belt and switched Charizard with the large normal-type.

Working alongside Blaine's Magmotar, the two were able to clear out another hall as they made their way down towards the basement. Based on Green's map, they were able to prepare for the open floor plan of the building, where every floor was visible from the middle of the complex, only divided by stairs and elevators. It had made coming in from above on Charizard easy, but for their plan to work they had to fight their way towards the building's basement, making as much noise as possible.

_"Hey Ash,"_ cracked Green's voice through their earbuds. _"Red said Cassidy's on her way to see what the commotion is about, so keep an eye out."_

"Roger." Ash said as they spun down another staircase, this time towards the floor that connected directly to the Game Corner. "Out."

Seeing a tin gray door, Snorlax body slammed through, sending rumble and debris flying everywhere. Not wanting Pikachu to get hit (he was already getting too old for this stuff) Ash opened his bomber jacket, allowing the yellow electric mouse to climb inside.

"BOSS, HEADS!" Ash looked up to see a vine heading straight towards him, instantly avoiding it by rolling to the side and smashing against a wall. From his chest, he felt Pikachu squirm.

"Snorlax, mega punch!" he ordered as he dodged another vine. Next to him, Blaine's Magmotar let out another flamethrower attack. There was another crash through a wall, and Snorlax wasn't able to avoid the falling debris. Picking it up like it was nothing, two vines wrapped themselves around the giant Pokémon's middle, effortlessly tossing him back and breaking several walls in the process.

Knowing better than to leave his injured Pokémon out, Ash raised his hand and returned Snorlax into its ball. It was during this that the man found his wrist tightly gripped by another vine, pulling him forwards so quickly he was shocked his shoulder wasn't dislocated.

"Boss!" Blaine called, pulling Ninetales' ball from his belt. The fire-fox emerged in a red light, ready to strike, but Ash raised his other hand.

"No," he groaned as the vine slowly pulled him towards its owner. "You'll hit me, too."

"Smart cookie," came Cassidy's voice as she stepped from beyond the doorway, Tangrowth next to her. "I thought I heard rats in the walls."

Another of Tangrowth's vines shot out, wrapping itself around Ash's middle as it tugged the man towards the blonde. It stopped when they were nose-to-nose with each other.

"Hello, Least-Favorite-Person-in-the-Universe," the blonde grinned, the corner of her lipstick stained mouth curving up to her eyes. "We have got to stop meeting this way."

"I couldn't agree more," Ash groaned as Pikachu poked its head from his jacket, sending a thunder bolt. Though not as strong as years prior, it was enough to get Tangrowth to release him. Within moments, Blaine's Pokémon attacked.

"I really hate Pikachus," Cassidy growled, pulling her own Poké Balls from her hip and tossing them into battle.

* * *

"Left!" Green said, looking at his Pokégear as he followed Yellow down the hallway. Between them, Blue's Jigglypuff bounced happily, seeming not at all perturbed about their current predicament. "Right - ah! Sorry, the other right!"

"Oak," Yellow growled, looking over her shoulder at the tall teen. "Do you even know where we are going?"

"No, because I've never been here before," Green said, pointing at his Pokégear. "So, I'm going by the map."

"Let me see that," Yellow sighed, taking hold of Green's wrist to forcefully look at his Pokégear. "I feel like we should be going-"

She was interrupted by a thumping noise coming from one of the doors up the hall. Suddenly nervous, Jigglypuff jumped up into Green's arms, as if the teen could protect it from whatever the mysterious thumping was. Exchanging a puzzled look with the boy, Yellow slowly made her way toward the noise, Green behind her with Jigglypuff. When they reached the door, they saw it was unlocked and with a simple pull they were able to force the sliding door open to reveal a heard of captured Tauros.

"Oh," Yellow said, simply. "Well, this makes things more interesting."

* * *

Somewhere along the way, Red and Blue were able to meet up with one of the few crews of Rocket grunts who hadn't abandoned the headquarters. It turns out that finding good help really was hard, as the second Officer Jenny's sirens were heard, a good chunk of "loyal" Rockets had made their way out of the building. Knowing they needed someway of navigating the basement, the two teams snuck into a group of grunts who were left.

"Listen, we don't have much to go on, but it looks like we're under attack," said one of the grunts in the front, though Blue wasn't able to see which one. "First, I need a team to make sure that the prisoners are not released, the rest I need to head up with me to help fight off the intruders with Cassidy. Who's going to the third floor?"

"WE VOLUNTEER!" Red and Blue yelled, raising their hands up as if they were in school. Obviously that wasn't the right response, as the rest of the grunts glared at them as if they were crazy.

"Um...I mean...if nobody else wants to," Red said, hiding his face under his hat and coughing to disguise his voice. There was another blast sound and the grunts looked at each other. Leading the charge, the grunt from the front spoke again.

"Alright, you two newbies go," he said, throwing Red his card key. "Just keep heading straight and use my card to get into the room with the "3" on it. The rest of you guys come with me!"

"Right!" said the grunts as they ran in the opposite direction, Poké Balls in hand. After they were gone, Blue turned to Red with a thumbs up before running towards the door. Red swiped the card, and instantly were greeted with a expanding hall of cells. Slowly the two teens made their way though, hoping to find some way of identifying who was being held where. In his ear, Red heard the even mumble of static, knowing they were in too deep into the building to receive any kind of signal. He sighed, they were on their own.

"Hey, look!" Blue said, pointing to a big computer in the middle of the room. "You think that can help?"

"Let's see," Red said, taking the key from the grunt and swiping it in. Lucky for them it worked, and a desktop loaded quickly before booting up a list of all the prisoners on the floor.

"Look, Red! It's your mom!" Blue said, leaning over his shoulder and pointing at the screen. "And Gary is with her!"

"Awesome," he said, looking down at the keyboard. "Now, is there a way to open their cells from here?"

The girl shrugged as she scrolled down the list of people held in captivity, "Wow, they have Sabrina captured deep below this."

"Blue..." Red warned, feeling his temper boil as he stared at the computer.

"You think they have her in some special cell cause she's a psychic? Oh! Look, what's Prisoner 001?"

"Blue..."

"Or maybe that's actually a Rocket too and they're a double-agent!"

"Blue!"

"What?!" she shot back, obviously upset that Red would raise his voice to her. She was in the middle of breaking a serious conspiracy theory!

"Can you  _please_  stop babbling for a second and help me figure out how to free everyone?" he said, his voice laced with exhaustion. Resting her hand on her hip, Blue took a moment to examine the keyboard before turning to Red.

"I got nothing," she said with a shrug. "Try blasting it."

"Blasting it?" he echoed and Blue replied by making a gun motion with her hand. "Oh...well, yeah I guess."

Pulling Blue behind him, Red raised his hat as Pichu peered down to make eye-contact with its trainer.

"Ready?" he said, and the tiny electric-type nodded, happily. "Alright, here goes."

Sending an electric shock from its cheeks, Pichu's spark all the way down to Red's hand, resting on the edge of his fingertips. Snapping quickly, he managed to form a tiny lightening bolt that rested on his index finger. Smirking at the girl behind him, Red turned to the computer, shooting the bolt into the machine. Within seconds, the computer short-circuited and an automated female voice rang from above.

_"Security compromised. All cells are opened - please remain stationed until your handler or guard attends to your cell. Thank you."_

"Well, at least they're polite," Red said, as Blue turned to another monitor. "C'mon let's find Gary and my mom."

"Hold up, it says here that Sabrina's cell didn't open up," she said, pointing to the screen. "Also, that Prisoner 001 is still locked too, and they're on this floor."

"Are you planning on going?"

"Yeah, I'll get whoever is here and then we'll meet up and get Sabrina."

"I don't think we should split up," Red said, looking slightly nervous as Blue plucked the card key from his pocket. "I mean, there are grunts everywhere and they're going to be onto us now that everyone is freed."

"Don't worry about me," Blue said over her shoulder, smiling as she ran out. "I'll meet up with you - I just look for the sparks, right?"

Red sighed, knowing better than to try to be rational with Blue when she already had her mind set. Looking at his shoulder, he watched as Pichu secured itself before he ran down the hall in hopes of locating his mother and uncle.

* * *

Ash's Charizard roared as it flew back out from its Poké Ball, scooping up its trainer as they flew over the side of the banister. On the ground, Blaine's Pokémon were barely holding their own against the herd of grunts that appeared from beneath the depths of the basement. Grinning madly, Cassidy called her Salamence and followed the dark haired man up into the highest parts of the building.

"Not so fast, Ketchum!" she called as Ash barely avoided her advances.

Though Charizard was powerful, Salamence had youth and vigor. Dodging its fire blast, Charizard took a nasty headbutt in the shoulder, sending them almost crashing into the wall. While not losing control, the impact was enough to take out a few walls. Around them, sirens blared loudly as more grunts poured from below. Cassidy cackled from the back of Salamence.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy killing you," she grinned widely, her hands gripping the back the dragon tight. "I truly am."

Still on the back of Charizard, the fire-dragon turned to make eye-contact with its trainer before shooting a fire ball at Salamence, who dodged it easily.

"Ha! You missed," she scoffed.

"Wasn't aiming at ya," Ash grinned as he pulled his hat down, Charizard flipping backwards as it dropped down and soared behind the firey ball like a rocket. Blasting deep below the building, the blast was enough to form a makeshift tunnel, connecting to depths of the Game Corner. Cassidy's Salamence didn't have the years of agility that Charizard held and was slowed down by having to fight through the melting walls and debris. On the other end, Ash exploded like a gun shot.

* * *

Gary was the first on his feet as the cells doors all shifted opened at the same time. Pulling Misty up, he turned to face Surge and Janine who were already up and out of their own cells.

"Holy shit," Surge exclaimed, "You were actually right, Oak!"

"Told ya so," he snorted as Misty looked around to see the other prisoners also leave their cells, looking bewildered.

"We gotta get our Pokémon and get everyone out of-" the red head began before her attention was taken by a boy in black, sprinting past. Instantly, Misty's face was flush with anger as she extended her arm, swiftly clotheslining the teenager. "RED KETCHUM!"

"OOF!" Red gasped, the force of his mother's blow enough to send him flying into a wall, his cap rocking off his head as Pichu soared from his shoulder into Surge's chest. The three adults winced as Misty grabbed her son by the collar, propelled by an inner strength that was only triggered by anger as she pulled the boy who was nearly two heads taller than her up to her face.

"O-oh," the boy's voice cracked, obviously terrified. "H-h-hey, Mom!"

"Red Samuel Ketchum," she growled, using the boy's full name to emphasis her fury (just incase the wall slam wasn't a strong enough indicator). "Not leaving the gym when it was attacked? Causing a mass prison break? Running around in a grunt uniform? This has your father written all over it."

"A-actually, the prison break and the outfit were Green's idea," Red squeaked, as Misty's grip on his collar tightened.

"Really?!" Gary piped from the back, his face full of fatherly pride that wasn't even diminished when Misty sent her scowl his direction.

"Where is he?" Misty hissed, turning back to her son by loosening her hold on him.

"Other building," he said, standing back at his full height. Pichu jumped from Surge's arms to Red's shoulder once he saw the coast was clear. "Him and Blaine are distracting Cassidy while we get you guys."

"Hey, Misty," Surge said, breaking the awkward tension between the Cerulean Gym Leader and her son. "We don't got a lot of time before every Rocket in the building comes down here to send everyone back where they came from, so we better come up with a plan."

"True. Hey, did Butch and Cassidy take your Pokémon when they captured you?" Gary asked and the two leaders shook their heads.

"We were both ambushed at night, so we didn't even have a chance to defend ourselves," Janine said, cooly. "Though luckily it means that our Pokémon were spared."

"So, let Janine and me take these guys to safety," Surge said, thumbing the growing mob of confused prisoners behind them. "You and Misty get your Poké Balls and we'll all meet in the outside world."

"Sounds good," Gary nodded.

"Here, take Blastoise and Gloom then," Red said, handing the two leaders his Poké Balls. "They'll keep you safe."

"Thank you," Janine said with a nod as she turned to the others, Surge on her tail. "EVERYONE, FOLLOW ME."

They left through the entrance as Misty stomped down deeper into the hall, Gary and Red hot on her heels.

"Red, go find Blue and get the hell out of here," she ordered over her shoulder at the teen.

"But Mom, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get my Pokémon back," she spoke through gritted teeth. "And then I'm going to use them to kill your father."

* * *

Blue's boots stomped along the linoleum floor of the hall as she reached a large door. Figuring this is where someone would keep a secret prisoner, the girl reached into the pocket of her uniform and pulled out the card key from earlier. Within moments the door was opened, revealing a glass room. Slowly entering, Blue walked towards a second glass, where on the other side she saw the curled figure of someone sleeping. Not wasting a second, she knocked on the glass.

"Hi, Prisoner 001," she yelled, hoping her voice would carry. "I'm Blue and I'm here to rescue you!"

"Would ya be quiet?!" the figure called, his voice sounding hoarse and gravely. "Dontcha know it's rude to wake a sleepin' person like that?"

Slowly, the figure rose and instantly Blue recognized that the prisoner wasn't a person, but a Pokémon. As he came closer to the glass, Blue's heart sunk into her feet, as the figure of a ratted and old looking Meowth came to view.

"Now what's all dis about rescuing me?" he said, smiling to show missing teeth. "Aw, what's a matter? Meowth got's yer tongue?"

"N-no," she said, her voice filling with tears as she fell to her knees, leaning both hands against the glass. "Oh my god, Meowth...it really is you."

"Yah, I'm Meowth," the Pokémon said, looking more confused than anything at the girl who was currently crying in front of his glass. "But listen, kid, I don't know who you is. Am I supposed to? I've been cooped up in here for a while, so pardon me if my memory is escapin' me."

"No, no it's fine," Blue said, tears running down her face as she tore her hat from her head, revealing her long brown hair. Looking up at Meowth, her blue eyes were glassy behind her tears. "It's me...Blue. Do you remember, Meowth?"

"Oh...oh wow. Oh, geez...little Blue is all grown up," Meowth said, raising his paw to line up with the girl's hand. Instantly, he remembered the uniform she was wearing and his whiskers fell. "Oh no, kid...don't tell Meowth that they got you, too?"

Blue paused for a moment before realizing that he was talking about the Rocket outfit. Humorlessly, she let out a laugh before rising up to her feet, wiping the tears from her face.

"It's a long story, but no I haven't," she said, reaching to pull out a Poké Ball from her belt. "Don't worry, I listened to Auntie Jessie and Uncle James."

Meowth's face dropped at the mention of his old teammates, and didn't even notice Blue call Lucario from its ball.

"Meowth, stand back," she ordered before turning to her Pokémon. "Lucario, mega punch the hell out of this glass. We're busting Meowth out of here."

"Lucario," the Pokémon nodded, as it wound up its arm and smashed the glass with a devastating punch, freeing Meowth from his twelve year prison.


	22. The Internment Building

The walls of the interment building shook violently as Gary and Misty skidded around another corner.

"This way!" Gary called over his shoulder as the red head followed him towards a malfunctioned door. Taking either sides of the door, the two gym leaders preyed the steel door open to reveal a room filled with drawers holding their belongings and Pokémon. "Alright, try to find something with our names on it and let's book it."

Misty nodded, wandering around the rows of drawers, hoping to find some sort of labeling system. Lucky for her, it seemed Team Rocket was just as disorganized internally as always, and she quickly found that the drawers were filed alphabetically based on first name. After telling Gary her discovery, the brunet ran to the "G" section of the office and easily found the drawer holding his Poké Balls, Pokédex and personal items. Pulling his wallet, he opened it and snorted in amusement when he saw that his cash had been taken out. The last item under his name was his wedding ring, which he picked up and stared at for a moment before sliding it onto his left hand.

"Hey," Misty's voice called and Gary was ripped from his thoughts, turning to see the woman running up to him. On her shoulder she had a slung the old red draw string bag he remembered from their youth. "I took a quick look around but the only Poké Balls I was able to snag were Sabrina's and she wasn't being held on our floor."

"No, they had her in a special cell below us," Gary said, clipping the last of his balls on his belt. "Listen, I need you to go find Ash and the others to break her out."

"Me?" Misty echoed as the man side-stepped her and made his way out of the room in a hasty jog. "Where are you going?"

"Got an appointment," he called over his shoulder with a charming smile as he sprinted out of the office and into the main hall of the floor.

An appointment that was over a decade overdo.

* * *

The first thing Red noticed when he ran into Blue was that she was frantic and out of breath, the second thing he noticed was the Meowth she held in her arms.

"Where were you and who is this?" he asked as the girl placed the normal-type on the floor in front of him as she hunched over to catch her breath.

"Rocket...prisoner...gotta keep...safe..." she managed between pants and Red leaned over in hopes of making sense of what the girl was saying.

From his shoulder, Pichu jumped towards the other Pokémon, head titled curiously. The Meowth didn't seem to care until the tiny electric-type reached out to touch the other's tattered fur, inadvertently shocking the other Pokémon.

"Pichu!" Red scolded as the electric-type squeaked in surprise.

"Yagghh!" the Meowth groaned, turning to Pichu and extending its brittle, old claws non-threatenly. "Hey! You don't wanna mess with me, ya baby Pikachu cause it won't be pretty!"

Red and Pichu both froze like stones, shocked at what they heard. Next to the boy, the teenage girl appeared to have caught her breath as she stood at full height, hands on her hips.

"Alright," she said, as pumped as ever until she saw that her partners were currently in a catatonic state. "Red?"

"Wh-wh-what...t-the..." he managed, both him and Pichu turned to Blue for an explanation.

"Ah, yeah this is Meowth. He was Prisoner 001. He also talks." Blue said with blasé as she pulled an empty Poké Ball from her hip. "I'll explain later - Meowth, I need you to hop inside here so I can keep you safe."

"Ehhh, I'm not really a fan of dese things, but a'right," the Pokémon groaned as the red light captured him. The ball only rocked once in Blue's head before settling. The girl stood, hand on her hip as Red continued to blink at her.

"What?" she demanded, growing annoyed. "Are talking Pokémon that weird?"

"YES!" Red shouted, Pichu jumping on his shoulder to squeak its agreement. "Is he some sort of experiment or something?"

"No, he always talked," Blue said, looking at the ball in her hand.

"Wait...how would you know that-"

"HEADS UP! HEADS UP!" called a familiar voice, and before Red could turn his head he felt himself get swept up before forcefully being sat on the back of something moving very, very fast. Not wanting to fall off, he grabbed onto whoever the rider was, and it only took him a moment to see that it was Green.

"Hey!" the chestnut haired boy grinned, looking over his shoulder. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"What the hell is this?" Red asked, looking down to see that they were riding a Tauros. Looking behind them, he saw Yellow on her Dodrio with Blue behind her, trying desperately to keep the skirt from her Rocket uniform from riding up. "Where did you get a Tauros?!"

"Found it."

"They were being held captive in one of the interment rooms," Yellow explained, sending an exasperated look Green's way. "Most of them are stampeding around the building."

"But not this one!" Green smiled wide as Jigglypuff popped up from his jacket.

"Jiggly?" the pink Pokémon called as it looked behind Green to see its trainer. "Jiggly!"

"Jigglypuff!" Blue smiled as the balloon Pokémon jumped towards its trainer, landing snuggly between Blue and Yellow. "Aw, did you do well?"

"Jiggly!"

"Duck!" Green called and the four trainers bowed their heads as they passed under pipes and bars. "Okay, coast is clear."

"Where are we even going?" Red asked, already getting sick of riding bitch to Green.

"The roof," Yellow said before turning to Blue and reminding her to hold on tight. "We're going meet at the rendezvous point there with everyone that Red and Blue freed."

"Wait, there was a rendezvous point?" Blue asked, exchanging a baffled look with Red.

"Yes," Yellow said as Dodrio took a sharp turn as they ran up another floor closer to the roof. "Speaking of such, where is Leader Gary and Leader Misty?"

"Uh..."

The conversation was interrupted by a sudden crash through the wall as Cassidy bursted inside, still on the back of Salamence. Behind her, the smoldering fire and debris of the building's wall crumbled in her wake. Green and Yellow pulled their Pokémon to a halt, not wanting to run straight into falling rumble. Still on the back of the dragon, the Rocket Leader's blonde hair swayed as she searched the area, Salamence flying in wide circles in the middle of interment building's crevice-like stairwell. Within moment, her eyes reached the teens, her glance freezing on Blue before curling up in a vicious grin.

"YELLOW!" Green shouted, turning to the blonde. "GO!"

With a quick nod, Dodrio was bursting at top speed ahead of them with Green and Red shooting off in the opposite direction. Red felt Pichu jump inside his shirt, not wanting to fall of its trainer's shoulder.

"Hey, you know how you can shoot electricity?" Green said as they leaned into a turn, coming in fast on Cassidy. "Now would be a good time to put that to good use."

Red felt the excitement tingle in his bones as Pichu's electricity ran through him as a raw current. With a snap, his finger sizzled like a sparkler.

* * *

With her Poké Balls back, Misty felt like she could do anything, including tracking down her good-for-nothing husband to beat some sense into him.

As she ran through the halls of the building in an attempt to navigate her way around the maze-like structure, she heard a loud crash from above and sirens. Shielding herself from falling debris with her arm, Misty attempted to dodge falling pieces of concrete before she felt a strong gust of wind blow from above. She braced herself as a strong arm whisked her off the ground.

She felt herself land snuggly against a warm chest and looked up to see the familiar smile of the man with who she vowed over a decade earlier to spend the rest of her live with. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she also registered that they were flying on the back of his Charizard and Pikachu was there too, but Misty's mind didn't find those details nearly as pressing.

"Hey, Misty," Ash said, her name on his lips sounding as right as it did when they were kids wandering through Kanto together.

She stared at him in disbelief, his unruly dark hair still hidden under a hat as the corner of his eyes crinkled in the same smile their son wore. She noted how his face had lost its boyish charm over the years, the corner of his eyes starting to show marks of age. She felt him slowly intertwine their fingers, the cool press of the gold band on his hand set a wave of raw emotion from her heart that pulsed through her body. Pulling her close, she felt his lips on her forehead in a chaste kiss before pulling her into his chest in an embrace. Misty wasn't aware that she was crying until she felt the tears stream down her face as she buried herself in her husband's chest, listening to his heart beat steadily.

"I missed you so much."

She was still pissed as hell and would surely yell at him later, but for now she was happy he was back.

* * *

It didn't take long for Gary to catch up to Butch - if anything, it seemed that the one-armed man wanted to be chased. Pulling Nidoking's ball from his belt, he called the Pokémon and the two of them charged into a room Butch had locked himself inside. The large normal-type roared as stepped inside the dark room and Gary noted the sounds of walls crashing and crumbling above.

He needed to do this quick.

"Come on out, Butchy," he called as Nidoking let a lot another roar. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

From the darkness a tentacle shot out and Nidoking was able to avoid it and shoot back into the abyss with a horn attack. Growing annoyed, Gary called Electivire from its ball and had the room lit within moments. His breath caught in his throat when he saw just where Butch had led them - the Koffing and Weezing holding chamber. With a hysterical laughter, the blue-haired man stepped up and motioned towards the oversized tank which held dozens of the poison-types.

"Hello Gary," he greeted, his hand shoved in the pocket of his suit jacket. "You look like shit."

"Takes one to know one," Gary replied, his eyes resting on Butch's waist to note that the Rocket was only carrying two Poké Balls.

With a snap of his fingers, Gary had Electivire send a devastating electro ball attack to Tentacruel, taking out the oversized squid. He watched as Butch recalled the water-type and instantly was on his feet, charging at the man. Not expecting this, Butch attempted to block the man's charge, but with only one arm he was unsuccessful. Quickly, Gary was able to set him staggering with a roundhouse kick. As Butch tumbled, the brunet managed to grab the second Poké Ball, successfully retrieving his Arcanine.

"Heh, very clever," Butch said as he attempted to gain his balance, but was instead met with a punch in the face by Gary. "Oomph!"

"Yes, I am," the man replied, recalling Electivire and Nidoking to their balls. "See, unlike you I wouldn't use Pokémon to fight a battle like this."

Gary grabbed Butch by the collar of his dress shirt, throwing up towards stairs that led to the top of the poisonous Pokémon tank. Butch scrambled to get away, but his retreats were met with Gary's attacks. By the time they had reached the top of the stairs overlooking the rim, Butch was an unrecognizable mess. Grabbing the man by the collar tightly, Gary leaned him backwards so he was dangling over the tank.

"D-do you really think doing this will make you feel any better, Oak?" Butch croaked out, holding onto the man's hands for dear life with his own. "It won't bring back that bitch Jasmine."

"You should be a little bit more careful about your words, Butchy," Gary snarled as he loosened his grip on the man enough for him to panic. "It could be your last."

"Is that so? Then in that case, I know what I want to say."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Fuck you, Gary Oak," Butch snarled as Gary kicked the man back, causing himself to fall backwards into the tank with a scream. He looked over the edge to see that the purple smog created by the herds of Koffing and Weezing overtake the man. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left but Tentacruel's Poké Ball, which remained unscathed as it dropped to the bottom of the tank.

* * *

"Hang on!" Yellow called as she weaved between Salamence's attacks on Dodrio. Behind her, she felt Blue's grip tighten as Jigglypuff rode along. The damage everyone was impacting on the building was beginning to take its toll, and Yellow wasn't sure if having a rendezvous point on the roof was still a good idea.

"Dodrio, tri attack!" she ordered as Cassidy rode closer and the Salamence reared away, towards Red who was shooting electro balls from the back of Green's Tauros. The attack hit the dragon in the back, but it wasn't enough to do much damage.

"We gotta get closer," Green said lowly as they barely avoided another of Salamence hyper beams. He turned to Red behind him, "Do you have any flying-types on you?"

"Yeah," Red answered, his attention still on Cassidy as he shot another spark of electricity her way. "I have the Talonflame Blaine gave me, why?"

"Cassidy's about to corner Yellow and we gotta break her attention away long enough to get out of here," he explained. "If you could ride Talonflame and distract her with your little magic trick, we'd be able to get out of here and you can follow us out."

"What about Cassidy, though?"

"This place is about to fall to pieces," Green said, thumbing the walls around them. "Once walls start crumbling she's going to have bigger things to worry about than four teenagers and a stolen Tauros."

"Sounds like a plan," Red said, pulling Talonflame's ball from his waist. "Good luck, dude."

"Ditto," Green nodded as Red jumped off Tauros and into the stairwell, only to appear moments later on Talonflame's back. Once Green saw that Red was distracting the Rocket leader, he was off to meet with Yellow.

On the other side of the building, the blonde was less than pleased to see the chestnut haired boy rushing over to their side.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded as Dodrio and Tauros both avoided a large bit of falling debris.

"Helping you," he answered simply, turning to Blue. "You okay over there?"

"Yeah," the brunette nodded, though Green could tell by her posture that she was a little whiplashed. "Where's Red?"

"Playing the decoy," he answered and before she could protest a crash erupted in front of them as Salamence broke through another wall and darted towards them.

"Jigglypuff, moonblast!" Blue called in a last-ditch effort to avoid the dragon-type. A bright, pink light shone from Jigglypuff as the fairy-type attack was super effective against the dragon, sending both it and its trainer flying backwards where they came.

"Impressive!" Yellow exclaimed, looking over her shoulder to see that Blue was no longer conscious and radiating the same pink aura from the moonblast attack. "O-Oak!"

Green turned to see Blue and motioned for Yellow to pull over. Around them, Red and Cassidy duked it out as Green and Yellow pulled Blue from Dodrio's back. Though not responsive, the girl was holding onto an also unconscious Jigglypuff so tightly that Green couldn't prey the two apart. Setting the still glowing girl against a wall, Green and Yellow exchanged baffled looks.

"Don't worry about her," came a soothing voice from behind them. "She may be sleeping, but she's actually closer to awakening."

Green and Yellow turned to see a tall boy in with messy green hair, wearing slacks and a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His green eyes were soft as he looked at the sleeping figure of Blue against the wall.

"My name is N and I am a friend of Blue's" he explained. "May I see her?"

N didn't wait for their reply and Green wondered if the boy was one of the prisoners freed from earlier. His thoughts were broken when he felt the tight hand of Yellow catch his arm in a death-grip. Looking down he saw the terror in the blonde's eyes, something he hadn't seen before.

"T-t-that's N," the girl managed, and Green felt a pang of panic shoot up his spine. "The King of Team Plasma."

* * *

Still riding on the back of Charizard, Ash and Misty flew down as deep as they could into the building's depth in looks for whatever it was that was containing Sabrina.

"From what I managed to find out while here is that Sabrina is being held in a glass cell at the bottom of the building," Misty said.

"They're probably keeping her isolated because of her powers," Ash said as Charizard destroyed another bit of debris in his path with a flamethrower attack. "Once we find her cell I think even the slightest crack will be enough for her to break her own way out."

"Right," the red head nodded. "But we better do it fast, this place isn't going to last much longer."

The couple zipped down lower until they heard what seemed like an explosion from higher up in the building. Seeing pieces of the building beginning to fall, Ash huddled over Misty as Charizard navigated through the falling wreckage. Above them, Ash heard a loud screech that sounded an awful lot like Gary's Aerodactyl. After a few minutes, the crumbling stopped as Ash and Misty looked up to see that the roof of the Rocket building was completely blown open, revealing the dark night of sky of Celadon City. Below them, they saw that the path to Sabrina's cell was nearly completely blocked by fallen concrete.

"It's too narrow, Charizard won't be able to fit," Misty said, leaning over the side of the fire dragon before turning to her husband who had his hand in his chin as he thought. "How are we supposed to get to Sabrina?"

Ash exhaled through his nose before sending a glance in Pikachu's direction. The tiny electric-type puffed its chest, leaning back on its hind legs, attempting to look buff. Raising an eyebrow suspiciously, he looked askance at his starter before smirking.

"You think you're up for it?" he asked.

"Pika!"

"Up for what?" Misty asked, glaring at her husband. "What are plotting, Ash?"

Ash didn't reply with an answer and instead took off his hat and placed it on his wife's head before kissing her briefly, saying softly against her lips, "Catch me, okay?"

"W-what?" she managed before she saw him hold onto Pikachu to his chest, saluting her before kicking off Charizard and falling down towards the debris. "ASH!"

Pulling Charizard into a nosedive, Misty rushed headfirst to grab her husband but his lean body slipped between the debris and he was gone. Pulling the fire dragon up, she felt her chest compress as panic began to overtake her. "ASH!"

Her calls echoed throughout the building and were answered by a small squeak before a bolt of electricity erupted from beneath the rubble. Within moments, a cool purple glow began to shine and Misty watched as her husband was ejected from beneath the wreckage, a very pissed off Sabrina behind him.

"MISTY!" he yelled as his wife flew Charizard up to meet him as she caught him on the back of the fire-type as the furious psychic floated passed, stopping briefly to telekinetically pull her Poké Balls from Misty's bag. Nodding to the couple, she jetted out of the building through the blasted roof.

"Heh, guess that did wor-ACK!" Ash gagged as his wife trapped him in a headlock, nearly knocking Pikachu off his shoulder in the process. "Mist-ay! Can't...breathe!"

"That won't be the only thing you won't be able to do once I'm through with you, Ash Ketchum!" she screamed as Charizard lifted them up and out of the building and into the cool Celadon City sky.

"For better or worse!" he croaked, half teasingly as the communicator in his jeans began to vibrate. He was spared his wife's thrashing when she reached into his pocket and flipped it open, scrolling through to read the messages.

"You really need a Pokégear like a normal person," she said as she read the messages as they came in. "Okay, Red and Blue are heading to sevii islands."

"Why?"

"I dunno, wait...another message just came in from Blaine," she said, her eyes furrowing as she read the message. "He said Surge and Janine got out okay and are going through everything with Officer Jenny but...Gary's in the Celadon Hospital?"

"Wait - what?" Ash asked, attempting to see the tiny screen of his communicator as Misty continued to scroll. "Is he okay?"

"No...no it's not him," Misty said, her voice shaking as she looked up at her husband. "It's...it's Green, Ash."

Ash's breath hitched in his throat, as he stared at his wife in complete disbelief. The wind howled loudly between them as his communicator vibrated again as the last message finally went through.

_**Red:**  Help._


	23. The Last Conduit

On the back of Talonflame, Red swayed through Cassidy's attacks while trying to hit Salamence whenever he could. Looking back at the balcony, he saw that Green and Yellow were frozen as Blue laid unconscious. Panicking, the dark-haired boy rushed towards them, only to be intercepted by the Rocket Leader.

"We aren't done yet, brat!"

Red pulled back on Talonflame, Pichu squeaking from his shirt as they somersaulted mid-air to avoid Cassidy. He shoot another lightning strike in her direction, but she avoided it gracefully. She was still pissed from Jigglypuff's attack and was eager to push past him to get her revenge - not that he would allow that. With a flame charge, Red bolted towards the Rocket leader, hitting her with both a fire and electric attack, sending her flying towards the wall, smashing it to pieces. Seeing an opening, Talonflame was quickly heading towards Green and the others.

"NO!" called Yellow's voice and Red pulled Talonflame back again, urgently. "STAY BACK!"

Red felt his heart skip, Yellow's voice was drenched in panic and Red watched as Green and her stood defensively behind their Dodrio and Tauros. Blue still laid unconscious near them, her body radiating a strange pink aura as she clutched Jigglypuff. The dark-haired boy swallowed hard, the scene was eerily similar to when she was attacked by Butch's Tentacruel at the Cerulean Gym.

From behind him, he felt a force pull him back as Salamence bulldozed through Talonflame, heading straight for the brunette.

"BLUE!" he screamed as Talonflame was pushed further backwards.

Leering above Blue, N tapped Zorua's Poké Ball on his hip, gaining its power and performing a dark pulse attack with his hands. He wasn't quick enough, however, as Cassidy smashed through and grabbed Blue from the wall. The force was enough to rip Jigglypuff from her grasp, the tiny pink Pokémon hurling towards Yellow, who caught it effortlessly. The attack was enough to spook Tauros, though, who without a Poké Ball was still a wild Pokémon. The bull raged forward, knocking N over as Yellow pulled Green to the side.

"Look out!" the blonde ordered, Jigglypuff still in her arms as she hoisted herself on Dodrio's back. Green quickly followed, wrapping his arms around her waist as they sprinted along the perimeter, following Salamence as it rose upwards.

"No, Cassidy!" N ordered, tapping Darmanitan's ball before gaining the Pokémon's speed and agility. Bouncing off the walls, he made his way to the Rocket leader. Cassidy didn't seem impressed.

"Back off, brat," she hissed as Salamence slashed the green-haired teen away with a fury swipe. "You and your no good father can't do anything to me now - I have the last Conduit!"

As N jumped and attacked, Red's Talonflame pulled itself up from the depths of debris, hoisting its trainer on its back as it rose back up towards Cassidy. Still on the bird's back, Red looked down at Pichu - the electric-type appeared tired and winded.

"Are you okay?" the teen asked, scratching the tiny mouse behind the ear. "You don't need to fight with me anymore if this is too much for you. Talonflame can handle it."

The bird Pokémon chirped in agreement, but Pichu shook its head and nuzzled its trainer. Red swallowed hard, feeling nearly overcome by the support of his team.

Meanwhile, Green and Yellow were having a hard time keeping up with N and Cassidy's aerial endeavors.

"How is he able to jump so high?" Green asked as Yellow's Dodrio dodged the falling rubble as they dashed.

"He is a Conduit," Yellow said. Though her face was stern, Green could tell how anxious she was by her voice and tightened his grip around her waist. If she asked, he would lie and say it was just to keep from falling backwards. "He has the power to absorb and channel the powers of his Pokémon."

"So does that mean Red…"

"Yes," she nodded, still not making eye-contact with the boy. " _He's_  the last Conduit."

"But what about Blue?"

Yellow remained silent as her attention shifted up at the green-hair boy who attempted to prey Blue away from Cassidy's grip as Salamence made easy work of Red's Talonflame.

"You're in the way!" N yelled, tapping another Poké Ball before snapping in Red's direction. Instantly, Talonflame became confused and crashed into the wall, dropping both Red and Pichu on a nearby staircase.

"Thanks for the help," Cassidy cooed as Salamence flew in place. "I'll make sure to tell your daddy what a good little boy you've been."

"Return the girl to me now, Cassidy!" N demanded, his face stern. "Or you will end up like your husband!"

"What...don't tell me you..." the blonde froze, her face contorting into a furious grimace as she clutched Blue to her chest like a doll. "YOU BASTARDS!"

"Cassidy!"

"YOU MURDERED HIM!"

"We did not-" N attempted to say but was cut off by the woman's tortured screams, as she squeezed the teenage girl so tight it was a shock she didn't awaken. "Cassidy, there is a place for you at Team Plasma, but you must return the girl to me!"

"Join you?!" Cassidy scoffed, her face manic. "The team who sent the entire world out to find four chosen children and bullied my team for over a decade wants me to join them? You guys really are insane!"

"You're leaving me no choice," N said as he tapped another of his Poké Balls before snapping his fingers and creating a fireball. "This your last chance, Cassidy. Give me Blue."

"Blue?" the woman echoed, torn from her grieving for a moment to actually take a look at the girl she was clutching. "That name...this child...is she the same from all those years ago…"

Cassidy rose her head to meet N's green eyes, the teen was leaning over a pole towards the Rocket leader, the fireball on his hand pulsing with power. Her eyes went back to Blue, her entire body shaking with rage.

"She is…" she hissed, as she took Blue by the collar and ripped the R from her stolen uniform. "This bastard child will not be wearing the R of Team Rocket! I'm going to do what I should've done twelve years ago!"

"CASSIDY!" N screamed, jumping from the banister to a fallen support beam. Like a ninja, he sprinted towards the woman in the air. The blonde, however, was only going higher. "CASSIDY RELEASE HER!"

Smiling wickedly, the woman took hold of Blue by the shirt and dangled her over the side of Salamence.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," she grinned as she dropped the girl into the open air, her body tumbling like a rag doll.

With an anguished scream, N released the fire he was holding in a fire blast attack, incinerating the Rocket leader and her Pokémon from the sky. From the eruption, Red and Talonflame emerged, following Blue's falling figure as she dropped like a weight. Reaching his hand outwards, Red tried desperately to catch hold of the girl before she fell to the depths, but she was constantly out of his grip and they were falling fast.

Suddenly, a bright white light emerged from Blue's waist and within seconds Red felt an enormous gust of wind fly up from underneath him. As the dust settled, he looked up to see that Blue had been swept up by her newly evolved Charizard. Exhaling a sigh of relief, the dark-haired boy flew up to meet the girl's starter, scratching him behind his horns.

"Good job, Charizard." he smiled as the newly evolved fire-dragon roared before flying over to the perimeter where Green and Yellow stood still. He dropped his trainer by their sides, and though she was saved from the fall, Blue had yet to awake.

"This is bad," Red said, hopping off Talonflame to gather Blue into his arms. Reaching for the girl's belt, he found Jigglypuff's Poké Ball and return the Pokémon inside.

"I haven't seen her like this since Riolu's Aura Sphere," Green said, jumping from Dodrio's back with Yellow to lean over the girl.

There was a thud and the three teens turned to see N had dropped from above, his feet heavy as they clanked against the steel of the platform. Instantly, Yellow was on her feet, ready to protect Blue. N ran a hand through his hair, annoyed.

"Do not attempt to stop me," he said, growing closer. "I do not wish to fight you, I only want Blue."

"She isn't a hyper potion," Red shot back, holding Blue to his chest as her Charizard rose to its hind legs. "You don't just get her."

N opened his mouth to retort, but he stopped and covered his head with is hand. Groaning, he looked pained as he appeared to try to collect himself. Raising an eyebrow curiously, Green turned to the boy.

"If you don't want to fight us, then what are you trying to do?"

"Is it not obvious?" Yellow spat, leering at the green-haired teen. "He wants to take Blue to Team Plasma and we can't allow that!"

"Easy, Yellow," Green said to the blonde girl with a reassuring smile before turning back to N. "Your name is N, right? You were fighting Cassidy too, so maybe we can help each other."

Green walked slowly towards N as Yellow glared at the two boys and Red kept Blue wrapped protectively in his arms. It was tense, but Green felt like maybe there was a way to settle matters peacefully. As a show of good will, he extended his hand to N, whose face was completely covered by his hands.

"We can help you."

"Will you... _augh_...give me Blue?"

"We can't allow that," the chestnut haired boy said, shaking his head. "But we can talk this out."

"No," N finally answered, his hands slowly falling from his face to show that his green eyes were simply whites. "We cannot."

Without skipping a beat, Yellow's Dodrio was in front of Green protectively as N jumped backwards into the darkness of the overhanging bare ceilings. Red looked down at Pichu whose cheeks were sparkling as a light screen appeared before them. Charizard extended its wings before them, ready to attack.

"Oak, get behind me!" Yellow ordered taking the taller teen by the arm. "Dodrio, bring him down!"

The bird Pokémon screeched loudly as it charged upwards after N. Their calls faded quickly into the crumbling ceiling. They stood still in silence as the banging noises clanged above them. After what seemed like an eternity, Dodrio dropped back down in front of Yellow, motionless.

"D-Dodrio!" she called, running to her Pokémon. "Dodrio! Hey, wake up!"

Instantly, the hairs of the back of Red's neck bristled and he knew something was wrong.

"YELLOW, GET AWAY FROM DODRIO!" he yelled, but he was too late.

Rising up on its legs, Dodrio's faces curled sourly at its trainer. Bucking, it began harnessing power for a Tri-Attack. Frozen with disbelief, Yellow remained motionless, stunned by the betrayal of her lifelong companion.

"NO!" Green shouted, taking the girl by the wrist and swinging into into his chest as attack hit him from behind. Against him, she heard heavy thumps and he ripping noise of beaks against skin. The attack faded as Blue's Charizard reared into action, tackling Dodrio off the side of the platform, fighting into the pit of darkness. Opening her eyes, the first thing Yellow saw was blood.

"Oak…" she gasped as the boy clutched her tighter and she felt the warmth that confirmed her suspicions that the blood was his. "O-OAK!"

Falling forward, the color drained from her face as Green's body curled around her. Her eyes burned with tears as words hitched in her throat. He coughed and through messy brown bangs she saw his unfocused emerald eyes rest on her.

"You're...okay…" he managed with a smile as crimson pooled between them. "I'm so...glad."

"GREEN!" Yellow's voice cut through the air like a knife as the teen collapsed. There was a crash through the wall as Gary and his Aerodactyl bursted through. At the sight of his son, Gary took hold of the two teens as Aerodactyl sent a hyper beam through the roof, escaping within seconds. Shaking, Red could hardly process what had happened. Standing to his feet, Blue still in his arms, he screamed into the darkness.

"N!" he shouted. "SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!"

He wasn't answered, and he felt himself shake with Blue in his arms and Pichu in his shirt. Talonflame was too weak to carry the two of them, so he bolted up the rest of the stairs, not knowing anything else to do but to try to find a way out. Below him, he looked down to see Blue's Charizard Yellow's deranged Dodrio still battling. Red swallowed hard before calling out to Charizard and within seconds he felt the cold prickles at the edge of his skin. Looking forward, he saw N standing calmly, hands in his pockets, looking stoic.

"I could call Dodrio off," he said, simply. "I don't like seeing Pokémon battle each other, but I can't allow you to leave so easily."

"If you want Blue, you're going to have to get through me." Red shouted, his grip on the girl tightening.

"You say that as if it would be difficult," N said tapping a Poké Ball on his hip and shooting a dark pulse towards Red. With Blue's combined weight, he was less agile and unable to avoid the attack.

The pulse hit them both and Red felt the swirl of N's dark pulse travel through him like an electrical current. Falling to his knees, he looked down at Blue who was now glowing a dark purple color. In his shirt, Pichu had fainted. Trying to keep his bearings, Red attempted to handle the power the same way he dealt with Pichu's electric current, and was eventually able to focus the power into the tips of his fingers, though it made holding Blue even that more difficult.

"Red...wait…" came Blue's voice and in shock the boy looked down to see that the girl had finally awoken, though was still radiating that strange aura. "Don't...don't hurt, N."

"What?" Red barked, he's fuzzy feelings for Blue pushed to the side at the mention of the other teen. "You were out for most of this, but this is the guy who has basically been trying to kill me for the last 20 minutes."

"He's not…" she managed, adjusting herself in his arms to point at the green-haired boy across from them. Red blinked when he saw that the teen had dropped to his knees, completely stunned.

"You...you have my powers," N said, his voice quivering. "How...how can there be more than...two…"

Red raised an eyebrow, even more confused than before. He felt Blue's hands touch his arms and the power drain from him like water through a drain. The hue around Blue, however, intensified.

"We need to leave," she said softly and Red could tell she was dipping in and out of consciousness. "Charizard…"

With a roar the fire-dragon flew from the depths below and Red climbed its back quickly, seeing Dodrio running up the wall to capture it. In the corner of his eye, he saw N fall to his knees, his bangs covering his eyes. There was a snap of his fingers and Yellow's Dodrio ran to his side, seemingly finding a new master. Not wanting to risk anything else, Red ordered Charizard to hurry out and within moments they were flying through the cold air of Celadon City.

"Where's...Green?" Blue asked against Red's shirt and the teen's throat closed as his heart sank to his feet. It seemed that while in her state she was able to feel that Charizard had evolved, but not much else. Red couldn't tell her the truth though, especially considering he wasn't sure himself.

"He got...he got hurt, Blue," he answered finally, gathering her up closer to him so she wouldn't get cold during the flight. "But Gary got him...but I don't know…"

"We should go to my uncle's mansion," Blue said suddenly, as if she was nervous she would lose consciousness before finishing her sentence. "On Sevii Islands."

"Okay," Red answered, feeling the dread of the situation set in as they moved further away from Kanto's mainland.

Now that the adrenaline of the fight in the Rocket Building was wearing off, his mind was coming to terms with Green's injury and that Yellow's Dodrio was lost. He also had no idea where his parents were, or if they had been able to escape. Blue quickly passed out again and he was able to adjust her in his arms enough to pull out his PokéGear and send his father where they were heading.

Charizard's speed got them to the island in half the time and Red was lucky he remembered which island Blue's uncle's mansion was located. Granted, it wasn't hard to forget where the residence of the great Pokémon Researcher Bill resided. The fire-type landed with a thud on the lawn and Red hurried to the front of the mansion and banged on the double doors with his fist.

"One moment," came a voice from behind the door. He recognized it as the butler's, who name Red couldn't possibly remember from when he would visit with Blue when they were children. It was probably Clive or Jarvis, but Red wasn't in the mood to guess. Luckily, Blue came to and wiggled out of his arms before the door was answered. "Oh!"

"H-hello, Barton," Blue said, still leaning against Red as she attempted to smile. "We need help…can we stay here for a little while?"

"Ah! Ms. Blue!" Barton said, taking hold of the girl as she fainted over. Running towards the infirmity, he carried her down some hallway Red didn't recognize, leaving the teen alone in the doorway.

It only took a few minutes for it the gravity of the situation to hit Red. Making his way out of the lobby of the mansion, he stumbled out towards the gardens as he fell into the grass, curled over as if he was going to be sick. In his shirt, Pichu awoke and climbed onto its trainer's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the teen. It wasn't very effective.

The air left Red's lungs as if he had been kicked in the gut - Green may be dead, Blue could be dying and whatever it was that allowed him to control Pichu's electricity was far more than a parlor trick. Cassidy was dead, the Rockets had fallen, but N wanted to take Blue away and he didn't know why. The Underground, the Conduits - none of it made any sense to him. Red felt as if his entire existence was collapsing in on itself as his mind's eye watched a twisted slow motion repeat of Yellow's Dodrio attacking Green over and over again. The cool green eyes of N as he stared at Blue haunted him and he was so confused and scared that he didn't realize he who he was dialing on his PokéGear until the message was already sent.

It didn't take long for Ash's Charizard to land on the property and Red looked up at his parents with redden eyes and tearstained cheeks and he couldn't even make the words he wanted to say come out of his mouth because it was all just a clumsily, gobbled mess. They didn't care as Misty ran to her son, taking him into her arms with Ash beside her and the teenage boy sobbed heavily into their clothes as his shoulders shook in his attempt to apologize.

"I...I'm so sorry," he sobbed into his mother's shirt, but she cooed her son as she stroked his hair and his father rubbed his back as the walls Red had carefully build for the last twelve years quickly crumbled between them. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…"


	24. Sevii Islands

"Natural Harmonia Gropius!" Ghetsis roared through the castle, and the sages knew they were in for some dramatics.

Lining up in the main hall, Gorm, Bronius, Rood, Zinzolin, Giallo and Ryoku watched as the seventh sage stormed passed them. Behind him, the Shadow Triad followed and, much to Rood's dismay, tracked in leaves and dirt from the outside.

"For ninjas, you're incredibly sloppy," the sage mumbled under his breath as he went to fetch a dust pan.

"Where is he?" Ghetsis shouted as he turned to the sages as if they were hiding his son under their robes or behind their backs like a present. "Where is N?!"

"My lord, we have not seen him," Ryoku said, bowing as he spoke. "We were under the assumption that he was in Celadon City with you."

"That was the case until we were separated and he destroyed our stronghold in Kanto," Ghetsis said between gritted teeth. "Allowing for our base in Celadon to crumble with it."

"I thought that was the Rocket's base, my lord?" Bronius said and was answered with a death-promising glare by Ghetsis.

"With the Rockets gone everything that was theirs is ours, you fool!" he shouted before looking around. "With them not disbanded we have nothing!"

"But didn't Lord N find his matching Conduit?" Giallo asked, not seeming to have learned from Bronius about asking Ghetsis questions. "Shouldn't we no longer need the Rocket's influence."

"Thank you for catching the rest of the class up, Giallo," Ghetsis groaned, glaring at the other sage. "That would be the case if it was not for the fact that our dearest king allowed the young woman to up and disappear off the face of the region! Hopefully, this catches the rest of you up to why am I so troubled and why I need to find my son  _now_  so I can promptly  _deal with him._ "

"That won't be necessary," came a voice at the top of the staircase and Ghetsis looked up to see that it belonged to Anthea, Cordelia at her side. "Lord N has indeed returned and is currently taking recluse in his bedroom."

"Recluse?" Ghetsis echoed, making a face if the word tasted sour in his mouth. "Anthea, I do not care what he is doing, I am demanding him to come out  _now_."

"We cannot allow that," Cordelia shook her head. "Lord N requested we give him privacy from the entire castle, especially from  _you_."

Letting out a shout in frustration, Ghetsis climbed to the top of the staircase as fast as his aging body would allow. As he squared in on the women he saw the look in their eyes, like a pair of mother bears. His jaw tightened with rage.

"We take our orders from Lord N, Ghetsis," Anthea said, her voice stern as she met eyes with the sage. "As we always have."

"Do not toy with me, child," he hissed, taking hold of Anthea's wrist tightly. He felt annoyed when she did not appeared bothered. "What makes you think I will not do anything in my power to tear down that door?"

"Because you have larger problems to concern yourself with," Cordelia said as she pointed behind him, to reveal the figure of someone currently storming into the castle. By the looks of his spiky red hair and flowing cape, Ghetsis could tell it was Kanto's Champion, Lance.

"Oh for god sakes," the green-haired man groaned exasperatedly, releasing Anthea from his grip. "Do we not take note of the coming and goings of  _anyone_  in this castle?"

"Ghetsis!" Lance's deep voice rang through the main hall, agitation laced within each syllable. "A word?"

"Ah, Champion Lance, my dear friend!" Ghetsis greeted, mood suddenly chipper as he hurried down to lead the taller man up towards his study. "Of course, of course - anything for you! Would you like anything to drink?"

The two men closed the heavy door behind them as the sages exchanged looks of bewilderment. Amongst themselves they wondered if it would be wise to attempt to listen in to the conversation by pressing a glass against Ghetsis' door. Rood, however, returned to see that the trail of dirt he has just cleaned from the Shadow Triad had been replaced by a new trial by Kanto's Champion. Furiously, he kicked the dirt with all his might, sending particles flying everywhere, including backwards into his own face.

* * *

Green sat cross legged in an open field, his usually spiky chestnut hair floppy as it hung in his eyes. He frowned as he looked to his left and then to his right. If he really did die and this was all the afterlife had to offer then he had a bone to pick with a certain deity.

Rising to his feet, he swatted blades of grass from his jeans and began to walk...somewhere. He didn't know where, but there were a bunch of floating lights going in one direction and he figured he should follow the light, right? He shoved his hands in his pockets and began to leisurely stroll through the field until something caught his eye.

Stopping in his tracks, Green gaped like a Magikarp as his sleepy mind processed what - or rather  _who_  - had caught his attention. Turning around and running, his chest heaved as his feet pushed against the ground as he sprinted with all his might towards the woman. He must've ran so fast that he de-aged, because once he reached her he was five years-old again and she was able to pick him up in an embrace like she always had.

"Mommy!" He cried, burying his tiny face in the nape of her neck as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Mommy! Mommy!"

"Shhh, honey," Jasmine cooed as she rocked her son. "It's okay."

"I m-missed you s-s-so much," he hiccuped as he tried to rub the tears away from his face, but they kept coming.

"I've missed you too, Green," she said, smiling sadly as he watched her emerald eyes twinkle. "I've missed you and Daddy with all of my heart."

"D-does this m-m-mean I'm d-dead, too?" Green hiccuped and his mother continued to smile as she brushed away the rest of his tears and kissed him tenderly on the temple before placing him down on the grass.

"No, honey, " she said and Green could tell by her voice that she was relieved. "You're in-between."

"But I don't wanna be in-between!" Green yelled, covering his face with tiny hands. "I wanna be with my friends! I wanna help Daddy fight the bad guys! I wanna tell Yellow I like her!"

That last confession had the small boy blushing and Jasmine could barely attempt to hide her laughter behind her hand.

"Seems you still have a lot to do, hmm?"

"Yeah...yeah, I do!"

Looking at his hands, Green was suddenly seventeen again and when he looked at his mother she was shorter than him. Her smile widened as she reached up to cup her son's face in her hands. It was her turn for tears.

"You're all grown up, Green," she said as he covered her hands with his. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there."

"You were," he answered as he felt her hand fade from his face. "I love you so much, Mom."

"I love you more."

In a flash, his mother and the field vanished, ripped up and tossed into the sky as Green felt himself hurtling backwards. He awoke with a labored breath, attached to so many tubes and beeping machines that he couldn't understand his bearings. He groaned into an oxygen mask, his body feeling as if it was being burnt from the inside out.

"He's awake!" Green heard a voice that was undeniably his father's. "Quick, Yellow! Get the nurse!"

The burning was so intense that he couldn't even see the blonde blur run past him and out and the room. Throwing himself back against the pillow, he let out an anguished groan.

"It's okay, Green," his father said as Green gripped his strong hand with what little strength he had. "You're okay."

He wasn't just okay - he was alive. Even though it was almost unbearably painful. He was alive.

* * *

Staring at her reflection, Blue had to be honest in the fact that she didn't feel any different, even though she was this so-called Conduit. When she had awoken in the infirmary the day before, the way Ash, Misty and Bill's staff had treated her, you would've thought she was an alien dropped from outer space. When her uncle eventually returned to the mansion after hearing about his unexpected guest, she and Red were surprised to learn that Bill was also associated with the Underground and, much like Mr. Fuji, would help whenever possible. He was also a former research partner with Gary Oak - small world.

Blue sighed as she rubbed the unthinkably soft towel into her hair. Though it seemed that the Underground was more integrated than she first thought, the fact that she still had no idea what was going on annoyed her. Especially now that she was right in the middle of it.

Slipping into her bra and underwear before pulling on a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt (she was down to the basics at this point), she tied her damp hair into a messy bun and made her way out of the bathroom. Outside her door, she met with a very solemn looking Red sitting against the wall, legs curled up to his chest as he stared into space.

"Hey," she said, shaking him with her foot, her skin still warm from the shower. "Stop moping."

"I'm not moping," he said as he ran a hand through his hair, she could tell he was missing his hat something fierce. "I'm just worried."

"About Green?"

Red was silent which was a yes. Sighing, Blue slide down the wall to sit next to the boy, taking his hand in hers and interwinding their fingers. She could tell he had been training with Pichu earlier, his palms felt like a subwoofer.

"Your mom said Gary would call us if he woke up," she said quietly. "We just need to be patient and hold out here."

"Until when?" he asked, turning to look at her. "Team Plasma comes and kills everyone until they get us? We're what they were looking for, Blue. We're the Conduits."

Blue's jaw tightened as she avoided eye-contact with the dark-haired boy. She wasn't sure how she felt about her new mysterious powers. Instantly, they heard the quick paddling of someone's feet running up the stairs and they quickly let go of the other's hand. Within seconds Misty was in front of them, looking downright giddy.

"It's Green," she said, her viridian eyes sparkling as she smiled. "He's up."

"He is?!" Red echoed, jumping to his feet instantly. "How do you know?"

"Gary's on the phone with your father now," she explained and Blue noted how the term "father" didn't cause a complete freakout from the boy. That's progress. "He's still in rough shape, but now he's conscious."

"He did get stabbed pretty badly," Blue said, wrapping her arms around herself uncomfortably. "Even though nothing severed, that doesn't mean he won't have nerve damage in his arms and hands."

"Right now, it's a blessing that he even made it," Misty said smiling to the girl. "It looked pretty grim there for a bit."

"But Green is awesome and he'll totally pull through this!" Red said, punching his fist into his hand. "Even if I have to hold his bag for him or help him eat soup, I'll do it!"

"What a doting girlfriend you are," Blue sneered and Red shot her a look.

"Easy," Misty said, taking both teenagers by the shoulder and pushing them down the hall and towards one of the staircases. "Now that we have that good news, we need to talk."

"About what?" Red asked, looking over his shoulder at his mother. Her expression faltered and he instantly knew the topic. "Oh…"

As they rounded the corner, they saw Ash sitting in the living area with Bill and Blaine on either sides him. Meowth was out of his Poké Ball sitting in an arm chair, flipping through a magazine. After a day with Bill's staff he actually looked pretty healthy for Pokémon who had been detained for twelve years. When they entered, Ash's face lit up as he turned to his wife.

"You told them?" he asked and after she nodded, he turned to their son. "They're not sure how long until he's out, but once he's able to get around on his own they'll be coming here, too."

"Here?" Red asked, raising an eyebrow as he took a seat on a soft love-seat next to Blue. "How long do you guys plan on being here for?"

"As long as it takes," Blaine said, crossing his arms. "Now that we know you two are the last Conduits, there are bigger things to be concerned about than winning badges."

"Your future is far different," Bill said, growing excited. "Far brighter."

Red and Blue exchanged looked before turning back to the adults before of them, baffled. Sighing loudly, Meowth rolled his eyes as he continued to flip through the glossy pages.

"Dey don't knows whatcha talking about, Billy Boy," he said, eyes not leaving the pages. "And you guys callin' em Conduits is just confuzzling dem more."

"The talking Pokémon is right," Red said, leaning back into the sofa. "We have no idea what a Conduit even is besides that fact that I can run Pichu's current through me like some kind of superconductor."

"And I can absorb Pokémon's ability and power like some kind of battery," Blue added, pointing to herself.

"Right, apologies for that," Bill said as he made his way across the room to a whiteboard. Pulling a marker from his pocket, he flipped the board over and drew four circles with a dotted line between two pairs. "Saying to appear every thousand years or so, Conduits are the physical manifestation of the bonds between humans and Pokémon as they have the ability to channel and control their power."

"There are only four of them," Ash added, raising an eyebrow at the teens. "Got it so far?"

When they nodded, Bill continued.

"There isn't much known about them due to lack of any documentation," he continued. "But we have been able to learn that the Conduits appearance is usually caused by something."

"And lemme guess," Red said, deadpanned. "You're not sure what it is?"

"Correct!" Bill said, turning to Ash with a grin. "Wow, he is smart!"

"No, he was being snarky," Misty said, sending her son a look.

"Anyway, the last recorded time there were Conduits was when there was the solar eclipse that cause the Great Tsunami of the Kanto Sea," Blaine said, crossing his arms. "It was the Conduits of the North and South who were able to control the waves using the power of Kyogre, Manaphy, Articuno and other legendaries. However, how they gained their powers or what came of them afterwards is unknown."

"So...wait...how do you even know we're Conduits?" Blue asked, confused. "I mean, what if Red is just really good at training Pichu and I just have a weird reaction when I get hit with a Pokémon's attack?"

"Well, we already knew about you, Blue. It was Red we were unsure of," Bill said matter-of-factly, earning himself astonished looked from Ash, Misty and Blaine. Even Meowth rose up from his magazine to look at the researcher. "Oh...right...I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?"

"Wasn't supposed to say  _what_?" Blue demanded, raising up in her chair. "Uncle Bill, what's going on? How did you  _know_ I was a Conduit?"

Bill seemed nervous as he looked at Ash and Misty for support as Blaine raised his hands in the air with a rough, "Not me!" before turning to stare at a portrait on the other side of the room. Ash sighed loudly, taking off his cap to run his hands through his hair before taking a seat in front of the teens. _  
_

"About twenty years ago, the first Conduit appeared and we though it was the same thing, that he had a special connection with Pokémon," he said, his eyes narrowing. "His name was Max Maple. He and his sister May traveled with me when I went to Hoenn with Brock."

"But they...died," Red said, thinking back to the picture that Mr. Fuji had shown them. "They were in the Underground too, right?"

"Right," Ash said, his eyes sad as he rubbed his hands together nervously. "Gary and I started the Underground as a means to combat the Pokémon crime syndicates. We banded with trainers, Gym Leaders and League Champions to wipe them out. Though we're down to the bone now, at the time we were pretty successful. Once Giovanni died, Team Rocket dispersed entirely and the other groups like Team Aqua and Magma had no choice but to merge. Even then, with Max's ability to channel Pokémon's abilities we were able to stop plans before they even started. We didn't even know what a Conduit was until Plasma came."

"And took over everything," Blaine added. "Their 'king' is a kid named N, I'm guessing he was the one you guys fought in Celadon?"

Red nodded slowly, remember the kind of power he possessed.

"It was like he was able to do what I can with Pichu," Red said, looking down at his hands. "Only it was all his Pokémon and he only had to tap their Poké Balls to do it."

"Yeah, but he isn't their leader, although he and their rookies act like he is - it's really his father, Ghetsis," Blaine said his face curling distastefully. "He's one of those old men who believes in legends and once he saw that his brat could channel a Pokémon's attack like a circuit, well, he did whatever he could to get his match."

"What's a match?" Blue asked and Bill was back at his whiteboard.

"Like we said before, there are four Conduits," he said, drawing another line. "Meaning there are two pairs, one conduit who can harness the powers of Pokémon and another who can channel the powers. Think of it like a wire and a battery, one brings the power towards the other. When both pairs are working together, you can have a closed circuit, like in the past when you have the Conduits of the North and South banding together."

"Which is what we were hoping for," Ash said, looking away. "But that all went to shit when Plasma murdered Max and May."

"Ash!" Misty scolded, turning to her husband. "You don't know that for sure!"

"Like I need proof?" he scoffed, turning back to the teens. "Ghetsis knew he needed a pair for N, and Max was the only other Conduit that had shown their powers so Plasma found him in Hoenn while he was on assignment with May. When Max refused their recruitment offer, it ended in a deadly Pokémon battle in the Cave of Origin that collapsed it entirely. Ghetsis was the only survivor."

"Seems pretty obvious why that was," Red said, seemingly agreeing with his father. "If he wasn't going to join them, I can see why Ghetsis would want to get rid of him."

"But it made him more desperate to find the second 'battery', if you would," Blaine said looking at Blue. "And shortly after we found her."

"How did you know it was me?"

"Your parents called me," Ash said simply.

"My parents?" Blue echoed, looking up as if she was just told the world was flat. "No...no my parents died right after I was born and Uncle James and Auntie Jessie took me in when I was a baby and-"

She stopped when she felt a hand on hers and she looked over to see it was Misty. The girl then turned to face Meowth, who had put his magazine down to the side.

"Kid," the Pokémon said, looking at the girl. "I was never supposed to tell ya, but you should know da truth. Those two morons didn't just take you in...they was yer parents."


	25. Twelve Years Earlier Pt 1

_Twelve Years Earlier - Island along Route 40, Johto_

As her auntie and uncle set up camp for the night, a young girl with long brown hair ran through the forest, heading towards the sea. Behind her, she heard the calls from the Meowth who had long since gotten left behind, but she wasn't worried. She would find her way home, she always did.

Her feet crunched on the fallen leaves and twigs as the trees cleared and opened up to show the coast of the Johto Sea. The smell of saltwater filled her senses as she kicked off her sandals to curl her tiny feet into the coarse sand.

She wiggled her toes and laughed when a grumpy looking Krabby popped up from beneath and scurried off towards another place in the sand. The girl watched as the water-type dug a hole next to the leg of another child, most likely a few years older than her, with unruly green hair. Like her, his feet were also submerged in the sand. He looked her way and she grinned, always hoping to make friends.

"Hi," she greeted, flashing him a full smile. "I'm Blue!"

* * *

_Twelve Years Earlier - Cerulean City_

"Dad, would Blastoise still be able to beat Charizard if he only knew ice moves?"

"Hmmm," Ash said out loud, rubbing his chin with a gloved hand as he held his son's tiny hand in the other. On his shoulder, Pikachu napped lazily. "Only ice moves huh?"

"Yeah!" Red said, his shaggy hair covering his eyes as he held the tiny plastic bag filled with rolls. He was very excited that his father had allowed him to carry them back to the house for their dinner. "In school today we learned that fire-type Pokémon are super effective against ice!"

"You're right with that one," Ash said, smiling at his son as he went on about the lesson, his teachers and his classmates, completely forgetting the question that got them to that point. "Okay, now we gotta watch out since we're crossing the street."

"Okay!" Red said, holding his father's hand tighter as he leaned over the curb slightly. "Are we gonna do the Doduo dance?"

His father nodded and excitedly the young boy looked up at his father before back at the street.

"We're not a Doduo so we gotta turn our heads," the two Ketchums said in practiced unison as they turned their head to the right. "So we gotta look right, left and over!"

As they crossed Red laughed, still holding the bag tightly as they neared the Cerulean Gym. In the sky, a familiar figure appeared as instantly the young boy jumped from his father's grip.

"Uncle Gary's Aerodactyl!" he called, running towards their front door, bag of rolls flapping behind him as he sprinted. "Green's here! Green's here!"

"Red! Hold up!" Ash called as he jogged after his son. "If you run and drop the bag of rolls Mom will have a fit!"

Red shot his father a wide smile before skidding in front of the house, clouds of dirt forming behind him. As his father reached his side, Red raised up the bag with the rolls towards the adult.

"Here, Dad," he said, not turning away from the sight of Gary's Aerodactyl landing. "I protected the rolls."

After taking the bag it didn't take long for Ash to notice that during all Red's running the bread had gotten smashed. Sighing, he twisted the bag into his hand and looked up to see the smirking face of his long-term rival.

"Hey Ashy-boy," Gary greeted and proceeded with a handshake chest bump that had his wife rolling her eyes.

"You're grown men and you still have a hand shake," Jasmine said as she lifted Green from the back of the Aerodactyl before her husband returned it into its Poké Ball.

"Don't mind Jas, she's just jealous," Gary said as Jasmine placed their son on the ground and weaved between the men to embrace Ash warmly. "If you want, hon, we can create our own when we get back to Viridian."

"That won't be necessary," she said sending her husband a warm smile before turning to Ash. "Thank you very much for inviting us over."

"Of course," Ash said, with a shrug. "I just wish the circumstances were...well, different."

"Don't we always?" the woman replied as a dark-haired blur hurried past her so fast her skirt swished.

"GREEN!" Red called as he nearly tackled the smaller child to the ground in his eagerness. The momentum was enough to send the chestnut boy staggering, as he gained his land legs after flying.

"Ack! Red!" the boy said as he clung to his best friend's shirt to keep them from both falling. "Hi!"

"Wanna see the cool water Pokémon my mom is raising for the Gym?" Red asked, everything else in the universe seemingly irrelevant. Turning to his father quickly, the boy figured belatedly that he should have asked permission. "Dad, can I show Green Mom's new Pokémon?"

"Yes, but first you need to greet your Aunt and Uncle," Ash said pointing to Gary and Jasmine, hoping to instill some manners into his son. As if instilling anything into a five year-old was feasible.

"Hi, Aunt Jasmine! Hi, Uncle Gary! Okay, bye!" the boy greeted quickly before looping arms with Green and running off to the Gym's side door. Looking at his starter who had awakened on his shoulder, Ash motioned towards the direction his son had sprinted towards. Instantly, the tiny electric-type was off and following the boys, used to the role of babysitter.

"Smell ya later!" Gary said with a wave before turning to Ash. "Is Misty inside?"

He was answered with a muffled yell coming from inside the living quarters of the gym. Shortly after, a furious looking red-head bursted through the front door, wooden spoon in hand which she pointed accusingly at her husband.

"Ash Ketchum," she yelled as she zeroed-in on her husband, who was already looking nervous. "How does picking up rolls for dinner turn into you allowing our son to play with gym challenge-level Pokémon unattended?"

"Oh c'mon, Misty, it's good for them to interact with different Pokémon and Pikachu is with them," he grinned before handing the bag of rolls over like some kind of offering. "Look, we got the rolls and Gary and Jasmine are here!"

Slowly remembering her role as host, Misty pulled away from her husband to greet the Oaks with warm embraces before inviting them inside. Holding the door open for them, Ash was the last to enter after chastely planting a quick peck on Misty's cheek. The red-head pouted, a weak attempt to hide her blush.

"We brought dessert," Jasmine said, taking the bag that her husband was holding. "It's cookies and some treats for Pikachu."

"Aw, thank you!" Misty said as she motioned for the other woman to follow her into the kitchen where she was finishing up. "C'mon we'll put them in the fridge. Ash, if you need anything you have legs."

"Got it!" the man called, swiping a treat for Pikachu as he and Gary took a seat on the sofa as their wives entered the other room. Looking over her shoulder, Jasmine saw Gary send her a wink before she entered the kitchen behind the redhead.

"Are your sisters still away?" Jasmine asked as Misty took the bag of treats from her and placed them in the refrigerator.

"Yeah, they've been on the SS Anne doing their Sensational Sister Show," Misty answered, as she stirred the curry on the stove. "It keeps them busy and out of my hair, so I hope they ask for an encore. It's been nice to not have to explain to them how you can't just give Gym Badges away because the challengers are good looking or complimented your hair."

Jasmine laughed and noticed that Misty was motioning to finish setting up a pot of tea on a tea tray. Swatting the other woman's hands away, the Olivine Gym leader insisted she help. She was just placing the last cup on the tray with a crash and loud call of "MOM!" broke the women's attention.

Instantly, Green and Red hurried into the kitchen, Pikachu hot on their tails. Green was soaked to the bone, eyes tearful as Red held onto his shoulder, looking terrified, though less wet. Pikachu began squeaking some explanation, but Misty was not nearly as good as deciphering the electric-type as Ash.

"What happened?" Jasmine demanded as Misty handed the woman a towel to dry Green's soaked hair.

"We-were-playing-by-the-side-of-the-pool-and-we-accidentally-spooked-Dewgong-and-he-dragged-Green-into-the-pool-but-I-got-him-out," Red said in one breath, still shellshocked.

"Are you okay?" Misty asked the boy who nodded as his mother covered his head with the towel to dry. "Hold on, let me get you a change of clothes."

Turning to her son, Misty pulled him by the hand towards the laundry room to "help" her find clothes for the other boy. The fear in his face of his mother's wrath said otherwise.

"Mommy?" came a tiny voice from underneath the towel and Jasmine moved it away from her son's face so she could see him clearly.

"Yes, honey?" she said as her eyes met their match in her child's face.

"I...um...it's nothing."

Jasmine looked concerned as Green took the towel and covered his face with it as Misty and Red re-entered the room. The dark-haired boy looking upset as he rubbed his now sore bum. Green thanked Misty as he took the clothes and followed Red upstairs to "play nicely" in his room. As they climbed up the stairs, Red turned to his best friend.

"You didn't say anything, right?" he whispered and Green shook his head, his chestnut hair still damp.

"No," he said just as quietly as he walked over another step. "But how were you able to take Dewgong's ice-beam and send it back to it?"

"I dunno," Red shrugged. "Sorry it got upset when it hit him and took it out on you. Usually he's a better sport about it."

Green nodded as he watched Red run up the stairs to open his room, seemingly forgetting about the ordeal as he showed his friend some of his new toys. Within a few minutes, Green did also.

Downstairs, Gary and Ash were sitting on the living room sofa as Jasmine brought out the tray of tea to them as Misty finished up dinner.

"Did our kids kill each other?" Gary asked as his wife took a seat across from them on an armchair.

"No, but Green fell into the pool and Red had to fish him out," she answered as a flash of yellow bolted by and climbed up onto Ash's arm. "I'm sure Pikachu can tell you all about it."

"Sorry about that, Jasmine," Ash said, feeding Pikachu the treat from earlier as a means to stop his squeaking.

"You know boys," she said with a smile as Gary snorted. "What?"

"Our kids are so nice to each other," he said with a grin before slapping Ash on the back. "If that was us as kids we'd would've been fighting each other the whole time."

"No, if that were us as kids you would've pushed me into the pool," Ash said, punching Gary in the arm. "And you wouldn't of fished me out either."

"If you were drowning I may."

Both men laughed as Misty called everyone to dinner, though she had to call the boys a few times to get them downstairs. Eventually Ash and Gary ran up the stairs to carry the giggling boys over their shoulders towards the dinner table. The meal went by quickly, with both boys behaving themselves, though Green kept getting food on the the shirt Red had loaned him - the sleeves were too long for the smaller boy.

After dinner, the boys ran back upstairs to play while the adults cleaned up. They all gathered in the kitchen the clean the dirty plates and cups. After a comfortable silence, it was Gary who spoke first.

"So, when are we going to stop pretending this isn't a normal dinner party?"

"Gary…" his wife warned, sending him a harsh look as she dried a plate.

"No, he's right," Ash said with a sigh as he placed another glass into the dishwasher before leaning against the counter, his arms crossed. "It's just be hard to talk about Underground business since...well, the Cave of Origin."

Gary and Jasmine exchanged looks, knowing how hard Ash had taken Max and May's deaths. Next to her husband, Misty looked concerned as she took his hand.

"Anyway...I got a call the other day," he said, lacing his fingers between Misty's as he continued. "From the parents of the second Conduit."

"Third, technically," Gary said, hopping onto the counter and ignoring his wife's protests. "According to Morty's intel, someone at Plasma is the second Conduit."

"We're not sure if that's true, though," Jasmine said, as she positioned herself between her husbands legs, his chest against her back as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "This is all new."

"We have Bill doing research," Misty said. "It seems like there are only four of them."

"Oh good, we only need to worry about three forces of natures who can harness the power of Pokémon attacks," Gary scoffed. "That's comforting."

"Who are the parents, Ash?" Jasmine asked, ignoring Gary. "And how did they know to contact you?"

Ash and Misty exchanged a look before turning back to the other couple.

"Um...well, you could say they're old acquaintances of ours who now reside in Johto," Ash said after clearing his throat. "However, due to their old entanglement with Giovanni, they're worried about coming to Kanto to with their daughter."

"Giovanni? But he's been dead for year-" Gary began, but stopped mid-sentence when it all clicked. "Waittt a minute...are you talking about who I think you're talking about?"

From across the kitchen, Ash's fiddling with the brim of his hat and Misty's uncomfortable expression were answers enough.

"No freaking way," the spiky-haired man exclaimed and he felt Jasmine tug on his arm, but he wasn't going to relax. "Those two Rocket morons actually got  _together_  and got  _busy_?!"

"Gary!" Misty scolded and Ash just covered his face with his hand. "This is serious, can you not act like a jackass for once?!"

"Okay, okay, fine, geez," Gary said, though Jasmine could tell by the mumbling under his breath that he still found the entire situation humorous. She, however, wanted to know more about this new Conduit.

"I'm still a bit confused," she said, gearing the conversation back on course. "If these two are ex-Rockets, then what are they doing in Johto? Team Rocket hasn't had a presence there since their failed attempt at taking over the Goldenrod Radio Tower."

"They had already deserted the Rockets before they had their daughter," Ash explained. "To be honest, they were really terrible bad guys, so by the time Giovanni died, they already had enough. Team Rocket has been going through a power shift recently and they know the new leaders want their heads on a stake and that was before they got an inkling that their daughter was special."

"Butch and Cassidy have been trying to resurrect that gang like a zombie and have recently partnered with those Plasma guys," Misty continued. "Once they found that out, they knew their daughter wasn't safe and called us for help."

"So they're willing to abandon their child?"

"It's more complicated than that," Ash said, sticking his hands on his pockets. "She doesn't even know she's their daughter, she thinks they're her adopted aunt and uncle or something. They're petrified of what Team Rocket has become and they're just focused on on getting her out of there."

"And for her to live with us," Gary finished and he saw the expression on Ash and Misty's face change. "Am I right?"

There was a long, thick silence.

"We would take her in, but this place is too hectic with the Gym, my sisters and Ash is a walking target, especially with the Rockets," Misty said, finally. "You're a little less conspicuous than we are, and you're moving back to Pallet Town soon. Also, they're currently situated in Olivine City, Jasmine's hometown."

"You know we wouldn't ask you if we weren't certain this girl was the real deal," Ash said, turning to his best friend. "This girl needs to be protected and there's nobody on this planet I trust more than you."

Jasmine looked up at her husband, his eyes sparkling with the same mischievousness she had fallen in love with years prior. A simple pick-up would just take a phone call from Ash to assign, and she knew the real reason for the dinner - taking in this mysterious Conduit girl was the true mission. After having Green, she had always wanted more children, but the Underground and her own weak constitution had made that impossible for the couple. Some deep, dark part of herself wondered if Ash took that information into consideration when speaking with this girl's parents, though quickly pushed it to the back of her mind. Her decision was made the second she felt her husband's hands take her own with a squeeze.

"Olivine City, right?" she said with a smirk her husband knew she picked up from him. "What's our rendezvous point?"


	26. Twelve Years Earlier Pt 2

_Twelve Years Earlier - Olivine City_

"I gotta admit," Gary said, turning to his wife who was riding behind him on Aerodactyl. "Johto really is a much more peaceful region than Kanto."

"I'm happy you've finally come to your senses," Jasmine said, giving her husband's midsection a squeeze. "Does that mean we can move to Olivine City instead of Pallet Town? I really think Oak Laboratory can benefit from having a waterfront building."

"I don't dig it  _that_  much," he scoffed. "But we can get a vacation place here for the summer. I think Green would really enjoy the water."

"Was your grandfather okay with babysitting tonight?"

"Yeah, Gramps loves seeing Green and it's not like this is a family-friendly trip," he said with a shrug. "I mean, if he's gonna go and live long enough to have a great-grandson he might as well babysit once in a while."

Jasmine rolled her eyes at his reply. Only Gary could view his grandfather being alive long enough to see his great-grandson in a self-serving light. She was about to reprimand his rudeness when something below caught her attention.

"Look down there," she said, pointing to the edge of the small island where the Olivine Lighthouse stood. "See that tiny red light? I think that's them."

Gary nodded and directed Aerodactyl downwards, towards the island. Quickly, he looked over his shoulder at his wife.

"You okay?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "I have Rusty and Amphy is in the lighthouse."

"That's not what I meant," he said, leaning over so their foreheads touched. "I meant are you okay with...this?"

"I know," she said quietly, smiling and kissing his cheek lightly in reply. "Let's go."

Under the darkness of night, Aerodactyl landed on a patch of green in front of the Olivine Lighthouse. Climbing off the Pokémon's back, Gary and Jasmine saw their one-time enemies. No longer dressed in their uniforms, Jessie and James looked plain in their civilian clothes.

According to Ash, the couple had been traveling around the region since leaving Team Rocket and it was evident in their features. Over the years, James had taken to keeping his hair short and trim, though sporting stubble. At his feet stood Meowth, who looked the same though his coat was definitely a darker shade. It was his knowledge that pre-evolved Pokémon's lifespan were shorter, though his best friend's Pikachu and now Meowth proved otherwise.

Next to James stood Jessie, who even while traveling managed to keep up her appearances. Her hair, though seemingly impossible, had grown longer and was now tied back in a long braid. In her arms she held a young sleeping girl in a white sundress, who Gary figured couldn't be much younger than Green. Her long brown hair was tied back in a braid that had a bow tied on the end.

There was a heavy silence between everyone, and in her arms Jessie adjusted the girl as she held onto her tighter. Finally, Meowth spoke.

"A'right, so dis is pretty discomfortable for us all," he said, his voice raspy with age. "But let's try to get dis done before our visitors drop in, ya?"

"Where's Ketchum?" Jessie demanded, making sharp eye contact with Jasmine before turning to Gary.

"He thought it'd be too dangerous if he came," Gary said, his voice guarded. "Your pet is right, though. We need to do this quickly."

"Have you...said your goodbyes?" Jasmine said, her voice soft as Jessie's glare hit her again. Luckily, James finally spoke.

"We didn't want to worry her," he said, his eyes much softer than his partner's, which was slightly comforting. "We're only her Auntie Jessie and Uncle James, you see."

"I see," Jasmine nodded as she made her way to Jessie. "We'll keep her safe and happy...I promise."

Jessie flinched, instinctively stepping back as the other woman neared her. Jasmine swallowed hard, looking between the two former Rockets. She watched as James' hand rested on the woman's shoulder and Jessie's teeth gritted as she reluctantly handed over the child to the other woman.

"You have a son, right?" James said and Jasmine nodded, adjusting the girl on her hip.

"Yes, his name is Green," she said, looking down at the sleeping girl. "He's her age."

"Her name is Blue," James said, a sad smile gracing his pretty-boy features. "I hope they can become friends."

There was a loud crack in the air and Aerodactyl roared at the noise. Turning to his wife and the Rockets, Gary scowled.

"We got company," he said, pointing to the lighthouse behind them. "I'll subdue them, take over in the lighthouse."

Jasmine nodded, child still in her arms as her husband smirked before pecking her lips. Another bang crackled from the clouds and Gary was off on Aerodactyl, with Jasmine, Jessie and James heading towards the lighthouse.

"We'll take cover here until Gary returns," Jasmine said over her shoulder at the former Team Rocket trio. They nodded, following her inside as she locked the entrance with one hand as her years as caretaker of lighthouse came back to her like fresh memories. "I would tell you guys to make a run for it, but I'm assuming whoever's here is looking for you, right?"

The silence was enough to answer her question.

In the air, the misty fog from the ocean made it difficult for Gary to make out where the noises were coming from and relied heavily on Aerodactyl's senses to get them through. When one crackle popped so close to Gary's ear that he heard ringing, Aerodactyl quickly spun in the air and sent a hyper beam into the mist.

The attack was enough to make a clearing, revealing a manically grinning Cassidy riding on a back of a Charizard. On the ground, he made out the running form of her partner, Butch, who was making his way towards the lighthouse. Reaching onto his belt, he threw the ball of the only Pokémon he trusted enough to protect Jasmine without needing his order. As it landed on the grass below, Arcanine bursted from the white light and chased after the man. It was a move that seemed to go unnoticed by the blonde Rocket.

"Well, look who it is," she snarled as Charizard exhaled heavy, dark smoke from its nostrils. Gary could tell by the color of its scales and darkness of its smoke that the Pokémon was not well. "Mr. Underground. Here to keep me from ripping the heads off my old colleagues for skipping out on Team Rocket?"

"That's still a thing?" Gary asked, faking confusion. "I'm pretty sure Team Rocket stopped being a thing when your boss lost his mind and threw himself himself over Tohjo Falls."

Cassidy yelled in frustration as Charizard exhaled a fire ball, though Gary dodged it easily in the air with a snarky laugh.

"Giovanni never saw the true potential of Team Rocket," the blonde hissed as Gary's Aerodactyl flew in circles above her. "But we will revive to our former glory with our partnership with Team Plasma!"

Gary's thoughts jerked to a stop like a skipped record - Team Plasma? He thought back to the Cave of Origin battle that left one of the most regarded shrines in Hoenn in nothing but rubble, killing Max and May Maple. The team responsible for the attack wasn't the usual suspects of Magma or Aqua, but a new villainous team from Unova, Team Plasma.

Setting into a dive from above, Aerodactyl struck Charizard with a devastating crunch attack, taking hold of the other dragon's neck as they drove to towards the ground. Cassidy screamed as Aerodactyl tossed the fire-type like a rag toy before flying upwards towards the cloak of the foggy mist, sending a look back towards its trainer.

"You know what to do," he said, with a nod. A light sparked in Aerodactyl's eyes as it focused its finishing attack, Earthquake, towards the stunned fire-type.

In the lighthouse, Jasmine was thrown into a wall, holding the young girl close to her chest as she traveled up the stairs of the lighthouse. She knew their only chance at remaining safe would be to get to the top where Amphy stood guard. There was another violent shake and Jessie, James and Meowth were thrown backwards, tumbling down the stairs. Pulling out Steelix's ball, the steel-type jumped from the light and took hold of the three former villains on its back like a bus before lowering its head towards its trainer, allowing Jasmine to climb on as well.

"Thank you, Rusty," she said softly, as she saw the walls of the lighthouse begin to crack. "We must hurry towards the top, though, we don't have much time."

There was a loud crash at the bottom of the lighthouse and Jasmine looked over to see a long tentacle shoot up the stairs, grabbing onto Meowth and pulling the Pokémon downwards.

"Meowth!" James called and he looked over his shoulder at Jessie and Jasmine. "That was from a Tentacruel. It's definitely Butch."

"That means Cassidy is right there with him," Jessie said, frowning deeply. "They're looking for her."

"Don't worry, they won't get her," the blue haired man said with a nod, squeezing Jessie's hand before turning Jasmine. "Keep them safe."

"What? James, don't!" Jessie yelled, but he had already made his decision and had leaped off the back of the Steelix, pulling from his belt a long neglected Poké Ball. He disappeared into the darkness.

"Rusty, we gotta go faster," Jasmine said, and the Pokémon roared loudly as it sped up the stairs.

Another tremor tore through the lighthouse and Jasmine felt the girl in her arms stir. Her heart dropped, the idea of having the girl wake up to find herself mid-battle in a crumbling lighthouse made her ill. Luckily, Blue was a sound sleeper and with a sigh was off to dreamland. Jasmine's discomfort must have been noticeable as Jessie exhaled loudly behind her.

"You don't need to worry," she said, her tone just as icy as before. "James' Victreebel did a number on her with a sleep powder attack. She won't be up until tomorrow, even if we're in a war zone."

Jasmine nodded, silently wondering what Jessie was going through. The idea of never being able to tell your child that you were their mother was enough to break Jasmine's heart, but on top of that to have to give them away was simply devastating. Turning to the woman behind her, she opened her mouth to offer some sort of sympathy, but was only meet with a _huff_.

"Save it, Pigtails," she said, her voice rough. "Just keep driving this overgrown Onix."

The Steelix roared as one of the walls before them crashed opened, revealing Butch on the back of Tentacruel as it climbed along the side of the lighthouse. Rubble scattered everywhere as the water-type's long tentacles wrapped along the foundation.

"Well, well, well," Butch said with faux surprise. "What do we have here? A former Rocket working with one of the most wanted members from the Underground? Gosh, and me without my camera."

"That won't be the only thing you won't have," Jasmine called. "Rusty, iron tail!"

Both women held on tight as the steel-type turned and attempted to knock Butch and his Tentacruel off the side of the building. However, the water-type was too agile and quickly took hold of its tail, pinning it in place.

"Don't be foolish," Butch called, "Give us the girl!"

"Over my dead body!" Jasmine called, urging her Steelix to break from Tentacruel's hold.

"Oh honey, don't tempt me."

Butch held his right arm out, as if to snap his fingers when another roar was heard. Looking over, a bright, red blur jumped towards the opening and chomped on the man's arm, dragging him down and off the water-type.

"Arcanine!" Jasmine called, recognizing her husband's prized Pokémon. "Oh my god!"

"No time for that, Pigtails," Jessie said, reaching to her own belt and looking at the woman. "With that pansy gone, that Tentacruel is a Pokémon without a trainer and needs to be taken down. You  _need_  to get to the top of this lighthouse."

"Jessie..." Jasmine said, understanding where the woman was going with the conversation. The red-haired woman looked down at Blue, stroking the small girl's hair before looking up at the other woman.

"Keep your promise," she said, giving a small smile. "She's a good girl."

Before Jasmine could tell the woman otherwise, she had jumped off the Pokémon and threw her ball into the air, revealing a Seviper. Jumping on its back, Jessie ordered the long, poisonous snake forward. The Pokémon's jaw unhinged as it took hold of the Tentacruel, prying it away from Steelix and backwards out of the building the same way it came. Swallowing hard, Jasmine nodded to her Pokémon and together climbed the final steps towards the top of the lighthouse.

Outside, Cassidy lifted her head slowly from where she fell on the island. Gary's Aerodactyl had taken both her and Charizard down, and by the looks of the fire-type, it was nearing the end of its rope. Climbing to her feet, she left the injured dragon behind, not needing to be slowed down by such a useless Pokémon.

Ahead of her, she saw Arcanine pull her partner from the wall of the lighthouse, its large jaw clamping on Butch's arm as the oversized dog shook him like a chew toy. Easily, the fire-type threw the man several years away and Cassidy ran to his side as he tumbled into the grass. Panicked, she lifted his head onto her lap.

"Butch!" she called, cupping the man's cheek with her hand. "Butch! Are you alive?"

After a long pause, the man coughed and gaped for air. Cassidy breathed a sigh of relief, she needed Butch if her plan to fully resurrect Team Rocket was to come to fruition. Looking down at his right side, however, she saw just how mangled Arcanine had left his arm.

"Stop...looking...like that…." he groaned, reaching for his belt with his left hand and pulling out a Poké Ball.

"Don't move!" Cassidy ordered. "I'll get you to a hospital."

"Not...before….I leave my present," the man said as he threw the ball as hard as he could towards the lighthouse. From the light, Cassidy saw a familiar shape and looked down at her partner in shock.

"Butch...you can't…" she said, remembering who else as in the lighthouse besides their two least favorite people. "You'll kill anyone inside."

"If I go…" the man said, smirking as his partner lifted him over her shoulder. "I wanna go out with a bang."

Above the island, Gary soared towards the lighthouse on Aerodactyl, zipping through the hole Tentacruel made and jumping off the dragon's back. Returning it to its Poké Ball, Gary whistled loudly and within moments, Arcanine had stampeded through the lighthouse's front door and up the stairs. Happy to see its trainer, the oversized dog nuzzled Gary before allowing him to climb on his back.

"A'right," Gary said, holding onto its mane. "Let's head up."

Arcanine bursted forwards, taking the steps nearly three at a time and bursting through the main door to reveal Jasmine, still holding onto Blue, as Steelix shielded the two of them. She instantly turned towards the door and her shock melted into worry when she saw it was her husband.

"Gary, watch out!" she ordered and the man turned to see Amphy, the usually friendly lighthouse Ampharos, was charging right towards him. Luckily, Arcanine deferred it away with a headbutt attack before tossing its trainer towards Jasmine. Running to her side as the two Pokémon fought, Gary embraced his wife quickly before turning back to the scene.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded as the Ampharos sent a thunder shock attack that lit up the entire room, though they were shielded by Steelix.

"Something's wrong with Amphy," Jasmine said, still shielding the child to her chest. "Look!"

Gary turned to see an older man with long tea green hair, black cloak and a silver eye-piece. On his shoulder sat a Sableye, giggling with joy. At his side was a young boy with similar green hair, holding what appeared to be an over-sized Rubik's Cube. By the look of his expression, he seemed unhappy to be present.

"You see, my boy," the taller man said, motioning to the fight before them. "All humans wish to accomplish is to use Pokémon for their own selfish means, like illuminating this lighthouse. Eventually, when the Pokémon no longer wish to be used as tools, humans will fight back with other Pokémon. It's really quite upsetting, isn't it?"

The boy remained quiet, as his absentmindedly stared ahead at the battle.

"It's the Sableye controlling Amphy," Jasmine said. "You need to aim for it instead."

Gary nodded and ordered Arcanine accordingly, as the fire-type dodged the Ampharos' headbutt and sent a flamethrower attack towards the tiny ghost-type, sending it flying off the man's shoulder. Instantly, the Ampharos collapsed, exhausted though seemingly free of the tiny Pokémon's control. Annoyed, the green-haired man turned to Gary.

"You'll regret that," he growled, his jaw tightening. "One does not attack Ghetsis Harmonia, Sage of Team Plasma, and lives to tell about it."

"So, you're Team Plasma, huh?" said Gary as Jasmine gasped, holding onto Blue tighter.

"Yes," the man said, grinning as he motioned towards the young boy to his side. "Now, bow to your King, Natural Harmonia Gropius."

In Jasmine's arms, Blue stirred again and it seemed to be enough to gain the attention of the young boy. For the first time since they entered the room, the boy blinked, his eyes seemingly focused as he pointed to Blue.

"Her," he said, his voice small as he pointed at the girl. "She is a Conduit."

"No!" Jasmine called as her Steelix charged forward, protecting them as Arcanine stood its ground.

Ghetsis grinned, reaching for his belt when he felt a small tug on his robe. Looking down, he saw that the green-haired boy was pointing at something behind the door and the man's eyes widened. Grabbing up the boy in his arms, he pulled a ball from his belt and flying off on a Hydreigon through the window. Instantly, Gary and Jasmine chased after them and leaned over the edge to see them leave.

"That was weird," Gary said, scratching his head as they both called back their Pokémon. Unable to reach her belt with Blue in her arms, Jasmine handed Steelix's ball to him. "Why would they just go?"

Jasmine's eyes narrowed as she looked over her shoulder and saw a large, round shadow from behind the door. Slowly, the figure rolled closer and instantly she gasped.

" _Electrode_ ," the Poké Ball shaped Pokémon called as it glowed yellow. " _Electrode!_ "

Instantly, Jasmine turned her husband, forcing Blue into his arms before pushing him out of the window. Seconds later, the floor exploded in a fiery blast. Seemingly calling itself from its ball, Aerodactyl appeared and flew Gary away from the blast zone. Staring as the lighthouse collapsed in on itself, Gary Oak was so drenched in the wave of shock that consumed him that he couldn't feel the tiny hands of the girl in his arms holding onto his jacket tightly.


	27. Twelve Years Earlier Pt 3

_Twelve Years Earlier - Cerulean City_

"This is the worse thing ever!" Red's tiny voice yelled as the side door of the living quarters crashed closed. "I look so dumb!"

"Red, you don't look-" said Misty, not far behind her son. He didn't reply and instead ran up the stairs towards his room, slamming the door behind him. "Dumb."

With a sigh, the Cerulean Gym Leader placed her purse on the kitchen table before looking at the living room through the entrance. The room was dark, with Ash curled on the sofa, face pressed against the cushions. She knew he wasn't asleep as he absentmindedly stroked Pikachu's floor as the tiny electric-type sat on his stomach. Walking towards the sofa, she lifted her husband's legs and took a seat before replacing them on her lap. He didn't look up.

"Hey," she said, her voice soft as she began to trace circles on her husband's shins. "How was your meeting with Lance?"

"According to him, the lighthouse collapsing was an 'unfortunate accident' because of 'faulty construction' and nothing more," Ash said, his voice hoarse. "A hundred year old lighthouse with no prior issues suddenly falls to pieces, and he calls it an  _unfortunate accident_."

"Is he freaking kidding me?" Misty exclaimed, sitting up. "You're on his Elite Four and he doesn't believe you?!"

"Nope."

"Did he listen to you at all? About Team Rocket and these Plasma guys?!"

"Nope."

"What about Gary? Was he there? Did he-" Misty stopped when Ash turned his head, giving her a look. "Oh...so he's still..."

Ash nodded and looked away, going back to staring at the cushion. On his stomach, Pikachu jumped up to the arm of the sofa, giving Misty room to lay down her head on her husband's midsection. Scooting herself up so her head rested on his chest, she sighed into his shirt as he ran his hands through her hair. Reaching over, she took his free hand in hers, intertwining their fingers.

"Looks like your theory was right," she said, voice muffled by Ash's shirt. "Lance really is in their pocket. Do you think its the Rockets again?"

"No," he said, his thumb rubbing along her knuckles slowly. "I think it's Plasma. I think it's all Plasma."

They sat in the darkness in silence, unable to gather the energy to continue the conversation.

"Why's Red all upset?" Ash asked, hoping to bring some normalcy to their otherwise abnormal life.

"I made him get a haircut," Misty said and Ash didn't even have to look down to know that his wife was currently rolling her eyes. "He's just upset that it's short - he wanted to keep it messy."

"Why? Is it popular or something?"

"No, because he thinks it makes him look more like you," she said, looking up to meet her husband's eyes. "So, obviously the only answer to this issue is for you to get a haircut."

"You're cute," he said, patting her on the head as a sign to get up. "I'll go up and talk to him."

They both rose from the sofa, leaving Pikachu to snore on the arm on the chair. Hand still in his, Ash looked down when Misty squeezed slightly.

"He's not the only one you should speak with," she said before heading into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Ash took the front stairs up to his son's room, knocking once before opening the door. Though only five years-old, Red's room was filled with toys and pictures of famous Pokémon trainers. He couldn't quite get over the irony of the same people who he had traveled and battled in his youth were currently staring back at him as pictures on his son's wall. On the bed, a tiny ball under the covers mumbled incoherently as Ash took a seat on the edge. Pulling back the covers revealed the pouting face of his son as he spoke to his stuffed Pichu Poké Doll. Though the young boy's hair was cut shorter, Ash had to agree with his wife that it didn't look bad, but good luck telling a kid that.

"You really don't like your haircut, huh?"

Red shook his head, still pouting.

"Are you nervous that the kids in school are gonna make fun of you?"

Red didn't shake his head, but he didn't nod either. Ash knew that his son usually didn't have trouble getting along with other kids, but he knew how quickly that could change.

"C'mon," he said, pulling up his son by the arms like dead-weight. "I have an idea."

Looking up at his father, Red's pout remained as he hugged his Pichu Doll tightly.

"Here," Ash said, removing his own hat, adjusting it before placing it on his son's head. "How about this?"

"Woah," Red said, the hat nearly covering his eyes. "Wait...I can have this, Dad?"

"Sure," Ash nodded, fixing it so Red could actually see past the brim. "It may be a little big now, but you'll grow into it. It actually doesn't look too bad with your shorter hair. What do you think?"

Scrambling from the bed, the tiny boy darted to the mirror on the other side of his bedroom. Posing, he looked at the hat on his head from every angle and pose imaginable before looking back at his father, "Thank you, Dad!"

"You're welcome," Ash said, resting his head on his hand as he watched his son make faces into the mirror. "Do you want to visit Uncle Gary and Green with me tomorrow?"

Slowly Red looked away from the mirror towards his father, still grinning, "Sure! Will Green be able to play this time?"

Ash nodded and Red cheered before excitedly running down the stairs and through the Gym to show his mother his new hat.

* * *

The following day, Ash rode on Charizard with Red snuggled against his chest. Having to sport a new hat, he looked down at his son who wore his old one with so much pride one would think it was some kind of award. Before their journey, Ash had told Charizard to take the long way to Pallet Town, allowing him to point to various landmarks around Kanto to his son, sharing the memories and stories of his adventures while traveling with Misty and Brock. By the time they landed in front of his mother's home, Red was already begging to fly over Johto next.

Luckily, Delia appeared fast enough to distract the boy from his request.

"Grandma!" Red called, running towards his grandmother in a tackle hug. "Guess what! Dad showed me where he traveled when he meet Mom and he gave me his hat! Do I look like a Pokémon Master?"

"Oh wow," Delia laughed, kneeling down so she could look at her grandson. "Hmm...you know, now that you mention it, you do look a lot like a Pokémon Master!"

"Yes!" Red cheered, jumping into the air excitedly. "Can I see Mimey, Grandma? Can I?"

Delia nodded and like a bolt Red charged inside. On Ash's shoulder, Pikachu perked up before jumping onto the grass to follow the tiny boy inside.

"Watch out, Mimey!" the boy called, pulling his hat backwards as he ran. "I'm gonna capture you!"

"He's so energetic, I have no idea who he gets that from," Ash joked as he looked down at his mother to see her expression had changed from warm-grandmother to concerned-mother. "Mom, listen-"

He was cut off when Delia came at him with an intense hug, knocking the wind out of him as she squeezed his midsection tightly. "Augh...Mom, c'mon."

"Don't you 'Mom, c'mon' me, Ash Ketchum," she said, looking up at her son. "You may try that tough-guy attitude with everyone else, but I know better!"

Smiling sadly, he rested his head on top of his mothers as she hugged him. In the distance, he saw the familiar windmills of Oak Laboratory.

"He's there, if you're wondering," Delia said, pulling away from her son. "Daisy has been staying with them."

Ash nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as the wind blew between them. Daisy had left earlier that year to open her own private medicine practice in Goldenrod City. Even if the two Oak siblings didn't always see eye-to-eye on things, he felt a bit better that Daisy had decided to stay after Jasmine's memorial.

"I know you don't want to hear this from me, but you need to hear it from somebody," Delia said, and the man turned to see his mother looking up at him, her face more serious than he had ever seen before. "This needs to be the end of this."

"Mom, what are you talk-"

"The Underground, Ash, it needs to stop," she said, frowning. "You aren't boys anymore, you have children and families. This isn't a game."

"It was never a game," Ash said, looking away from his mother.

"If what Gary said is true and Team Rocket is resurging, they will not spare anyone. Jasmine's death is proof of that."

"Mom...stop…"

"No, Ash!" Delia said, shaking her head. "You're not listening - this wasn't a fluke in a plan. They will not spare any of you this time, and that goes for Green or Red. If they find them, they  _will_  kill them."

"You think I don't know that?!" Ash snapped, turning his mother. "You think I don't know what this means? I know. Trust me."

A heavy silence fell between the two of them, as the wind blew around them. Slowly, Delia pulled her away from her son as he turned to her.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I-"

"No, it's alright," Delia said, smiling sadly up at her son. "Of course you understand. You're a parent now, too."

With a small bang, the front door of the Ketchum house swung open, revealing an exhausted looking Mr. Mime and Pikachu with a smiling Red.

"Dad!" Red called as he ran out of the house and instantly clung to his father's leg, looking up at him with big, brown eyes. "Can we go see Green now?"

"Okay, but say bye to Grandma first," Ash said and Red turned to give his grandmother a hug. After he was done, Ash took his mother into his arms for a tight embrace. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweetie."

With a small wave, Ash took hold of Red's hand as they walked down the street towards Oak Laboratory. Sitting in front of the building was Green, who was accompanied by a tiny Growlithe, most likely one of Daisy's Pokémon. After doing the Doduo dance to cross the street, Red bolted towards his friend, tackling him into the grass.

"Ack! Red!" Green said as the other boy laughed, leaning back to adjust his new hat. Excited, Growlith barked and ran around the boys. "Hi, Uncle Ash."

"Hey, Green," Ash greeted, crouching down to ruffle the boy's hair. "I just swung by to see your Dad. Is he inside?"

"Um...yes," Green answered, looking to the side. "Gramps and Aunt Daisy are inside, too."

"Great, you boys have fun and play nice."

"Okay, bye, Dad!" Red said, waving as his fathered stepped inside. Turning to his best friend, Red saw that Green was still looking uneasy. "Are you okay, Green?"

"Oh...um...sure," Green said, trying to smile though it was tiny and forced.

Frowning, Red stared at his friend, crossing his tiny legs as he stared. Feeling uncomfortable under his glaze, Green squirmed awkwardly on the grass.

"It's okay if you're still upset about your Mom," Red said finally and Green looked down, biting his lip. "I'm sure you miss her lots, right?"

"...yeah."

"Do you not want to play with me then?" Red asked, and Green quickly turned to his friend.

"No, I want to!" he said, as Growlith squirmed between the two boys, resting its paws on Red's lap, its tail wagging happily. "I was just thinking how lonely it's going to be when Gramps and Aunt Daisy go back to Goldenrod City."

"You won't be alone!" Red said, loudly. "You have your Dad, right?"

Green grew quiet and Red pushed Growlith out of the way to take his friends tiny hands in his own, looking determined. Shocked, Green stared at his friend, whose eyes were barely visible under his father's hat.

"And you have me."

"Red..."

"Forever, okay?" the other boy said, his voice again too loud. "Best friends forever!"

"O-okay," Green nodded, but it wasn't good enough for Red.

"Say it louder!" Red demanded. "Best friends forever!"

"Best friends forever!"

"You're not lonely!"

"I'm not lonely!"

"Because you have your best friend!"

"Because I have my best friend!"

"Forever!"

"Forever!" Green finished, his voice louder than he'd ever heard it.

Besides them, Growlith howled, wanting to join in on the fun. A passing neighbor shot the boys a look before making a loud 'shush!' noise as he walked his Furfrou around town. After he left, both boys erupted in giggles.

Inside the lab, Ash knocked on the wall as he slid his shoes off in the doorway. As always, the door to the lab was unlocked, allowing anyone in town to stop by and chat with the old Professor, though Ash had a feeling that would be changing in the coming months when Gary took over. Within a few seconds, Daisy appeared around the corner, her long, brown hair tied back in a messy pony-tail as she skidded to a stop in her stockings.

"Well, look who came home," she greeted as she embraced Ash warmly. "Long or short visit this time?"

"Short, hopefully," he said as Pikachu jumped from his shoulder to Daisy's. "Is the Professor here?"

"You mean Gramps? Yeah, he's in the study," Daisy said as she pulled a treat from the pocket of her dress to give to Pikachu. "I'll walk you over."

"How have things been?" he asked, feeling strange asking anything else.

"As bad as you think," she answered. "Bill took the girl shortly after Olivine. His mother lives in Cerulean so we all felt it it'd be best if she lived there instead."

"Seems safer," he nodded. "Misty could keep an eye on her then, too."

"Only Misty?" Daisy asked, handing another treat to Pikachu as it leaned over her shoulder.

"Pikachu, easy on the treats," Ash scolded and was replied with an annoyed look from the electric-type who still perched on the girl's shoulder.

"It's fine," Daisy said as she led Ash through the lab, before adding in a low voice. "They're actually vitamins for older Pokémon."

At the mention of his age, Pikachu looked even more annoyed as he jumped from Daisy to his trainer, curling into a ball on his shoulder.

"He doesn't like it when you mention the A-word," Ash said, scratching his starter affectionately as they entered through an archway.

"Nobody does," Daisy replied before turning to the older man sitting in an armchair, paper in hand. "Hey Gramps, we got a visitor."

Pushing down his newspaper, Samuel Oak looked up and smiled at the familiar face. In his older years, the famed Professor had maintained good health, though by stark-white color of his hair and the spectacles that framed his face, age was slowly catching up to the man.

"Ash Ketchum, my boy," he said, slowly rising up to his feet to hug the man. "It is so wonderful to see you - and Pikachu, too! Is Red here as well?"

"He's outside with Green," Ash said, thumbing the outside of the building. "I wish I could sit and chat, but there's a very specific reason to my visit. So, where is he?"

Uncomfortably, Daisy and her grandfather exchanged looks. Finally, it was the Professor who spoke.

"He's upstairs," he said, motioning for Ash to follow him.

Together, the two men climbed up the stairs towards the living quarters of the lab. As they walked through the hall, Ash took notice of his rival's Umbreon laying in a tiny bed, mewling softly. Ash turned towards the Professor for an explanation.

"One of her pups from her litter a few years back was killed," he said, his voice heavy. "Its trainer came by to let us know. He was devastated."

"How?"

"These new Rocket Grunts," the old man answered. "It's their initiation process to kill a trainer's Pokémon in battle. It was just the crazy course of fate that it happened to be one of her pups."

Ash stared down at the floor as they reached the door. Turning to make his leave, Professor Oak didn't say anything, though he did rest his hand on the younger man's shoulder. He gave it a squeeze before heading back down. Ash exhaled loudly, letting go of the breath he didn't know he was holding, as knocked once before turning the doorknob and entering the room.

Inside it was dark, as Gary had closed all of the room's curtains, allowing no sun to come through. As he walked through, Ash lifted his feet over piles of papers, bottles, old clothes and other random objects. He eventually found the form of his friend passed out on the desk, his face was unshaven and his hair disheveled. In their lifetime of being friends, Ash had never seen Gary Oak look so awful.

Looking around the room, he spotted an oversized book. Taking it in his hand, he made his way to his friend's desk and unceremoniously dropped the heavy book onto the desk with a loud  _thump!_ causing the spiky-haired man to jump in his chair.

"Wha?!" he managed, looking around startled before his eyes rested on Ash. "Ohhhh, hey Ashy-boy!"

Ash didn't reply, instead stood quietly with his arms crossed over his chest. Gary stood with shaky legs as he wrapped his sweater tighter around his body, covering the dirty t-shirt he wore underneath. Reaching into the pocket of his sweats, Gary pulled out a pocket watch upside-down. Cocking an eyebrow, he whistled.

"Wow, I really slept in, huh?" he laughed, before making his way to the table that housed a bottle of whiskey that was nearly depleted. "So, what brings you to Pallet Town, Ashy-boy?"

"Don't play dumb, you know why I'm here," Ash said as Pikachu jumped from his shoulder and scurried to the end of the room to open one of the curtains with its tail. The harsh light was blinding in the room. "Why didn't you come to the hearing?"

Gary took a seat in a messy armchair, drink in hand as he looked away from the light. Ash knew he was avoiding the question. "Gary!"

"Why do you think?" Gary snapped back, face still turned away. "It's because I knew Lance wasn't going to do shit and I just...I can't relive it again. I can't do it..."

Ash remained quiet as Gary took a drink from his filthy glass. Across the room, Pikachu stood by the window, its tail covered in dust. How long had it been since he cleaned?

"Every night I see it, Ash," Gary's voice broke, coughing between sips of his drink. "Her face when she pushed me...the explosion...everything. I couldn't go through it again in front of Lance and the League and have it be denied."

"Well, if it's worth anything, you're right," Ash said, adjusting his hat as he spoke. "Lance ignored it. He's in the Rocket's pockets, but I'm sure that would've been a crappy way to find out."

"I knew it," Gary snorted, taking another drink. "That jerk was always a self-interested asshole. It's why his cousin doesn't give him the time of day anymore."

"Speaking of estranged family members, I saw Daisy is here," he said, changing the subject slightly. "And after seeing all this, I gotta ask...what the fuck is going on here, Gary?"

Leaning back in his chair with a groan, Gary slammed his glass on the table before covering his face with his hands. Ash watched on uncomfortably, feeling that if he kept pushing Gary the man would crack.

"I just...can't do it anymore without Jas," Gary said, his voice tiny. "I see Green and it's like looking at her...and I just can't do it. All I want to do is find those Rockets and put them in the ground! I'm so fucking angry, Ash."

"I know," Ash said, making his way towards his best friend, taking his hand in his own. Shocked, the light-haired man looked up to see Ash, smiling slightly. "But you don't need to worry about them...you need to get better. You need to be here for Green."

"If I don't then who will?"

His question wasn't meant to be answered, but was with Ash's slience.

"No," Gary gasped, shocked as he gripped the man's hand tightly. "Ash, don't. You can't be serious."

Letting go, Ash rose to his feet and with a tiny whistle Pikachu was back on his shoulder. He turned to make his leave, before smiling over his shoulder.

"Get yourself together, Gary," he said, smiling. "Or else I'll finally get back at you for that 'Gary was here, Ash is a loser' stunt."

* * *

Misty sat crossed-legged on their bed, staring with watery eyes as Ash packed a familiar looking bag. They had long since tucked in Red for bed, and after a heated argument they were left with nothing but the heavy silence in their bedroom. Ash would walk back and forth from the drawers and closets to his bag, oftentimes looking up at his wife who was still staring daggers at him. Eventually, he sighed.

"Misty," he begged. "Please don't be like this."

She sat in silence, her eyes fierce as he crawled to her end of the mattress. She flinched as he reached out to her, and he looked at his outreached hand like it had burned her. Clenching his fist, he looked up at her with a heavy heart.

"I love you," he said, his voice tiny. "I wouldn't do this if it wasn't the only way."

She remained quiet, though her viridian eyes, now welling with tears all over again, met his dark orbs. With a sigh, he climbed to her side, gathering her up in his arms as she bawled into his chest. Rocking her gently, Ash whispered soothingly in her ear. He tried to express to her how much she meant to him, how much he was going to miss her and their son, and how he would try to be home soon. None of it seemed to matter as Misty only grew more upset, eventually ripping herself from his embrace to storm out of the bedroom and down the hall. Worried that her outburst would wake up Red, Ash followed her downstairs where another round of fighting commenced.

"Misty, please," Ash begged again. "It's just finding the last Conduit, then I'll be home. I promise."

"You keep saying that like you even know what you're looking for," she fought, her face flushed. "Just admit what this is really about."

"What are you-"

"You're bored, Ash." she said, her voice cutting him like razors. "Being on the Elite Four, living here with me, having a family. You're bored."

"That's not it!" Ash fought, but Misty was ahead of him.

"Then why does it have to be  _you_?" she hissed as he attempted to hide his face under his hat. "It's always  _you_. There are younger trainers out there who are part of the Underground, kids like Forrest who want to fight and travel. It doesn't have to be  _you."_

"But it does!"

"No! You think it does because you're guilty that Gary doesn't have a wife and Green doesn't have a mother anymore!" Misty shouted, no longer caring about who heard her. Taking hold of her husband wrist, she continued. "But now I'm not going to have a husband and Red won't have a father! So don't beg me for anything, Ash Ketchum. You shouldn't be going and you know that."

"Mom? Dad?" came a tiny voice and Ash and Misty both looked to see the tired figure of their son on the top of the stairs. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, sweetie," Misty said, trying to mask the emotion in her voice as she let go of Ash. "We're just talking. Go back to bed."

"It was pretty loud for talking," Red mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his tiny hands as he yawned.

"C'mon," Ash said, walking up the stairs and taking his son in his arms. "I'll tuck you back in."

"Okay," Red said, yawning again as he nuzzled into Ash's chest. Over his shoulder, Ash watched as Misty fell to the sofa, her head buried in her hands.

Red was already half-asleep by the time Ash finished tucking him in with his favorite Pichu doll. Kissing him goodnight, Ash took a few extra minutes to watch his son drift off to sleep.

"Are you...going somewhere, Dad?"

"Yeah," Ash answered, stroking a few strands of hair from Red's forehead. "But I'll be back. You be a good boy while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay." Red yawned before drifting off as Ash ruffled his hair and made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Heading back to the bedroom, he finished up packing his bag, trying hard to fight back tears. He felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around his waist.

"I love you too," Misty said, her voice muffled against his back. "And I do understand...I just...don't want to."

"I know," he managed, turning around so he could gather her up in his arms, kissing her deeply.

Ash stepped out into the cool breeze of the night, pulling Charizard's ball from his belt. On his shoulder, Pikachu looked down at him with a strange look of sadness and encouragement. Scratching the electric-type behind the ears, Ash called out Charizard and climbed on its back. As he rose into the cool air of Cerulean City for the last time, he pretended he didn't see the tiny face of his son in the window.

It was the only way to keep himself from jumping off and running back inside.


	28. Celadon City Hospital

"And that's...well, that," Bill finished, turning to the two teens sitting on the love seat. "A rumor spread that that third Conduit was killed when the lighthouse collapsed."

"Which wasn't true at all," Meowth added, his attention still on the magazine. "I would knows, I was the only one dat made it. Well, until Butch and Cassidy took me back to their little prison for twelve years."

"So...everyone thought I was dead…" Blue said staring at her hands in her lap, her voice tiny. "So, I'm not the Last Conduit?"

"No, you're not," Bill said, sending the girl a small smile. "Red is."

Swallowing hard, Red adjusted himself on the sofa. This entire conversation was uncomfortable as he was just hit with a ton of information. It seemed Misty had noticed.

"Listen, we know this is a lot," she said, crossing the room to kneel besides her son. "We're not expecting you to just take it easily."

"Then what are you expecting from us?" Red asked, turning to his mother. "What are we supposed to do with these powers?"

There was a heavy silence.

"You want us to use our powers to take down Plasma…" Blue said, her voice shaky as she looked up, eyes tearful. "You want us to kill N, don't you?!"

"Blue," Misty said, extending a hand to the girl, who turned away.

"No!" she said, shoulders trembling. "I don't want to kill anyone! I don't want anyone else to die!"

"Blue, please," Bill begged, "You need to calm down."

"Don't tell me what to do!" she shot back, her face losing color quickly. "What even are you to me, anyway? You're not my Uncle, Grams isn't my grandmother and my parents were...oh my god..."

Leaning over, Blue clutched her chest, in an attempt to catch her breath. Panicked, Red reached out for her.

"Everyone move away, she's having a panic attack," Ash said, his voice even as he turned to his son. "Take her to the bathroom."

Nodding, Red took Blue's hand and gently led her up the stairs and towards the bathroom. As he opened the door for her, he looked down to see that Blue was covering her mouth. Quickly, he led her to the toilet, kicking the door closed with his foot as she leaned over the basin with a loud retching. Not knowing how else to help, Red held back her hair until she was done. When her body finally relaxed, Blue flushed the toilet with a shaky hand before resting her forehead against the cool porcelain rim.

They sat together on the cold linoleum floor, her head on the toliet with his hands resting on her back.

"How lame," Blue finally said, her voice hoarse from vomiting. "I'm one of the three most powerful humans on the planet, but I still succumb to panic attacks."

Red laughed awkwardly, climbing on his knees and reaching over the counter for a bottle of mouthwash. Silently he offered the bottle to Blue, who quickly rinsed her mouth in hopes of vanquishing the leftover vomit between her teeth.

The silence returned as Blue pressed her forehead to the cool surface of toilet while Red stretched out his legs and leaned against the bathroom wall. Not wanting anyone to see Blue in such a state, he leaned across the floor to press in the lock on the doorknob.

"So," he began, twiddling his thumbs together and looking up towards the ceiling. "Some origin story, huh?"

A clunk rang as Blue lightly began pounding her forehead against the rim of the toilet.

"I feel like such an idiot," she said softly, as she continued her pounding. "When I was a kid, Bill took me in and told me he was my father's brother and I believed him. I never even thought that my real parents were..."

"I get it," Red mumbled. "Nobody ever bothered to tell me the real reason my dad left was to protect me. It would've saved me a good decade of daddy issues if they were just honest with me from the start."

"Right?!" Blue snapped, finally looking away from the toilet and at Red. "Why wait until now to tell us everything?! All these secrets...the Underground...Team Rocket...everything is just one big lie! Nobody was ever honest with us!"

Red swallowed hard. She had a point.

"I just feel so tired," Blue said as she buried her head in her hands. "Is there even a way to be done with all this Conduit crap without killing anyone? Is that even an option?"

"I...I don't know."

"Pfft," she leaned her head back on the rim of the toilet. "Of course you don't."

Red stared at the floor as Blue stood up, running her hands through her hair. Sometime during the race up the stairs, her hair had fallen out of its messy bun, cascading over her shoulders.

"I really am nothing but a pain, aren't I?" she groaned. "All I ever do is bother everyone."

"That's not true, Blue," Red said, sitting up.

"No, it is," she smiled sadly at the boy. "I've been nothing but a nuisance ever since I was born. If only I wasn't around, Green's mother would still be alive and your dad would never have left."

"Blue, stop it!"

"If only I really had died when that lighthouse fell, huh?" she laughed humorlessly. "We would've saved a lot of trouble with the Rockets!"

"Blue!"

"What?! Don't pretend you don't-"

Before she could continue, Blue felt Red's hand wrap around her wrist and pull her down to the floor and towards him. The forward momentum caused them to smash their faces together in a clumsy kiss. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled Blue closer towards him, hoping to somehow establish an understanding of feelings wordlessly. It seemed to have worked, and with a soft sigh, Blue tilted her head to the right and kissed him back tenderly. Remembering that breathing was important, Red pulled back, though not very far.

"Don't say that again," he said, breath hot against her lips. "Don't ever say anything like that again."

Her eyes glazed, Blue nodded slowly before pushing herself against his lips again for another kiss. In the back of his mind, Red thanked Bill's fancy servants for keeping mouthwash in the their bathroom. Tentatively, he opened his mouth against Blues in an attempt to deepen the kiss. His actions were well rewarded as she mimicked his actions quickly. He darted his tongue into her mouth where it instantly met with hers and as the kiss intensified, so did their actions. Blue's hands had at some point traveled up his backed and were tangled in his dark hair, lightly scratching and massaging his scalp, while Red's grip around her waist tightened possessively.

"We're in this together," he managed between kisses. "I promise you."

"Red..."

"Yeah?"

"Stop talking," she said, smashing her lips back on his passionately.

They breathed heavily through their noses, both not wanting to break away afraid they would never retrieve the moment again. However, Red could not help but let out a moan into the kiss when Blue's wandering fingers found a particularly sensitive spot at the base of his hairline.

With the help of Red's arm, Blue repositioned herself into a more comfortable position, stretching a leg on either side of Red's hips, straddling him in the process. Red moaned louder, as Blue softly coaxed his lips with her's, and his pants began to tighten as he felt her on top of him. He shivered as her hands traveled down his sides, and gasped when they dipped into the waistband of his pants to pull at his shirt.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Jumping so quickly he nearly head-butted Blue, the teen practically threw the girl across the bathroom. Luckily, she was just as quick and scooted off his lap as if electrocuted. Breathless, they looked towards the door, both lips kiss swollen.

"Red? Blue?" came Misty's voice from behind the wood. "Is everything okay in there?"

"Y-yes!" Blue said, her voice higher than usual. "I'll be out in a second."

"Alright...let me know if you need anything."

The two teens stared at each other, frazzled and dumbfounded, as the sound of Misty's feet walking away echoed loudly through the bathroom.

* * *

Yellow sighed, hands wringing nervously as beeps from the various medical equipment sang in a strange symphony around her. In the hallway of the Celadon City Hospital she was able to see everyone from nurses and doctors glancing at charts to Chanseys and Blisseys hopping around cheerfully. She must have been offered a glass of water a zillion times now, though she found it easier to deny the request from the human personal than the Pokémon. She was just in the middle of trying to hand back a glass of orange juice to a particularly pushy Blissey when Gary exited Green's room, closing the door behind him.

"Leader Oak," Yellow said, setting the juice aside to stand from her seat. "Is...um...is Green okay?"

"Technically no, but he's stable and awake now, which is good," Gary said with a sigh that Yellow figured was relief. "Doctor is going through his charts now, but it seems like he should pull through."

"Oh thank god," the blonde said, letting go of the breath she wasn't sure she was holding.

"He is going to need some intense physical therapy, though," the man said, crossing his arms. "The doctors want to keep him in the city for it, but that's not really an option now. Looks like I'm going to have to call my sister."

"No need, little brother!" came a voice which Yellow recognized as Daisy Oak. Turning to the source, she saw the tall, brunette smiling as she made her way through the hallway. In her time at the Underground she had never seen both Oak siblings in the same city together, let alone the same space. Both tall with chestnut hair, Yellow could definitely see the family resemblance, especially as they both stared at each other with their mischievous-Oak-look.

"Surprised?" Daisy greeted before sending a smile Yellow's way.

"More like annoyed," Gary said, his arms crossed as he glared at his older sister. "What brings you to Celadon?"

"Same reason you're here," she smiled, motioning to Green's room with a bop of her head. "How's he doing?"

"He's stable, but in rough shape," Gary answered as the doctor left Green's room, chart in hand.

"Ah, Dr. Oak," the doctor greeted when she saw Daisy, instantly turning away from Gary to shake her hand. "I should've put the last names together - so, Green is your nephew?"

"Yes, I'm Professor Oak's older sister," she said, hand on her hip. "So, what are we dealing with here?"

"Well, lucky for him the none of the wounds hit anything major. He does have severe muscle damage around his right shoulder, so as I said before I think physically therapy post-recovery is the next step. However," the doctor said, looking up from his chart towards Gary. "I think you, Professor, should get yourself checked out. Did the wild Dodrio attack you as well?"

"Yes, he was," Daisy answered cheerily, cutting off her brother and earning herself another glare. "He was actually feeling a bit woosy. Do you think one of your nurses could check him out?"

"Absolutely," the doctor smiled, grabbing Gary by the arm and dragging him down the hallway, kicking and screaming. "C'mon, Professor."

"He also hasn't gotten a physical in over ten years!" Daisy called down the hallway with a tiny wave before turning back to Yellow with a smile. "And how are you holding up? You look exhausted."

"Oh...I'm um...I'm alright," Yellow said as she wrung her hands together again. "I didn't get hurt during the fight...Green-ah, I mean O-Oak...he…"

She stopped when she felt the woman's hand on her shoulder. Nervously, she glanced up to see Daisy's smiling face.

"He's up now," she said, nodding towards the now opened door. "You should say hi to him."

Looking away, Yellow nodded slowly as Daisy pulled back.

"I'm going to go make sure my brother doesn't kick anyone in the face," she said, waving her hand behind her head as she walked away. "I'll bring you kids back some pudding."

Finding herself alone in the hallway, she took a deep breath before walking through the doorway to Green's room. Nervously, she ran her hands through her hair, hung high in a ponytail. She tried to make as little noise as possible when she took a seat at his bedside. He still had an oxygen on his face, though his emerald eyes opened slowly after she sat down. Yellow swallowed hard, scared that if she didn't she may spit up her heart on his bed.

"Oak," she greeted, unable to think of anything particularly intelligent to say. "You're awake."

Lazily, he turned towards her, his eyes heavy from the medication pumped through his system. He didn't say anything, the mask on his face making him look like some sort of scuba diver. Looking away slightly, she continued.

"I wanted to thank you...for being stupid enough to save my life," she said, her voice shaky as she felt her cheeks redden. "It was a moronic move and you almost died for it, which was incredibly brave but still stupid. Really stupid. Don't ever do it agin."

From under the mask, she saw Green's chapped lips curl upwards. Her cheeks grew warmer.

"Anyway, you should be resting," she said hastily, motioning to get up from her seat when she felt a cold hand reach out and grab her own. Looking down, she was surprised that he had enough strength to hold her hand.

"...stay," he breathed, the mask making him sound as if he was talking from space. Sitting back slowly, Yellow tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her other hand still held by the boy in the bed.

"Idiot," she grumbled, intertwining their fingers together as she turned away with a blush. "Don't talk with that mask on."

* * *

Daisy poked her head into the office to see her brother finishing up buttoning his shirt. Seeing her in the doorway, the man frowned as his sister took hold of the file the nurse left on the counter.

"Have I told you recently how obnoxious you are?"

"Not recently," she replied, flipping through the records. "So, besides my nephew nearly dying, did everything go according to plan?"

"I guess so," he said, adjusting the buckle of his belt. I mean, from what I read in the paper this morning the building was in such bad shape that Jenny and her guys couldn't get in there until last night."

"Any bodies?"

"Just Cassidy's"

"No Butch?" she said, her green eyes seeking her brother's brown ones over the file. The man looked away, reaching for his shoes without an answer. "Ah, I see. You were clever."

"Not here, Daisy," Gary warned and the woman's eyes went back to the file. "I told them it was a wild Dodrio that attacked Green."

"Is that the same story you're going to tell Ash when he asks about Butch?"

"That's none of your business," he growled, as his sister rolled her eyes. He always did have a temper when he didn't want to talk about something.

"True, but he's still going to be pissed," Daisy said with a shrug. "But I'm on your side, little brother. If I were you, I wouldn't skinned that creep alive years ago."

"Will you be able to help Green with his recovery after this?" Gary said in a desperate attempt to change the subject. After a moment of silence, Daisy nodded as he reached into his pockets for his Pokégear. "Good, thank you."

"I'll go check on the patient," Daisy said, tossing the files on the counter as she turned to leave. "By the way, lay off the butter. A man pushing 40 should not have such high cholesterol levels."

Gary frowned as she left, dialing the keys on his Pokégear with more force than necessary.

"I'm only 37," he grumbled.


	29. The Bell Tower

Two old Sages of Ecruteak City gathered at the base of Bell Tower. Looking upward, the bright shine of the summer moon reflected cooly on their faces.

"Is he still up there?" one asked to another. "It's been a week."

"He said not to have anyone bother him."

"But a week?"

"Leader Morty is looking for something. We must give him time."

"Hmm," the other man said, noncommittally. Maybe the gym leader had found permanent refuge on the top of the tower. Or he died. Either way, that meant more Kimono Girls for him. The other Sage must have read his thoughts, as he was quickly granted a stern bop on the head by the man's staff.

On the top of the tower, Morty sat on the tin roof of the structure. Eyes closed, he was deep in meditation as a group of Gastly apparated from the air. Swirling around the blond, the playful ghost-types danced in the moonlight and eventually broke the man from his concertation. Looking up apathetically, Morty's eyes focused on the Pokémon.

A few months earlier, he had received a call from the famous researcher Bill asking for his assistance in understanding more about the mysterious Conduits. The project involved everything from digging up thousand year old folklore to traveling to Unova to go through archives in the Nacrene Museum with Lenora and her husband Hawes. Though they were able to learn about the history of the foursome, the powers they possessed and their achievements, they were still missing one crucial bit of information.

What brought them back now?

Above him, the Gastly chuckled as they spun around his head, as if laughing at his own misfortune. Being a ghost-type trainer, Morty knew that the group was probably trying to badger him for attention. However, as they floated around each other, the Pokémon eventually formed a perfect alignment.

And then it hit him.

Jumping to his feet so quickly the Gastly dispersed, Morty reached into the back pocket to pull out his Pokégear and dialed a familiar number. After two rings, it finally connected.

"Bill?" he said, smiling when he heard the familiar voice on the other end of the call. "Yes, it's me. I think I figured it out...are they with you now?"

* * *

"Would you like something to drink?" Ghetsis asked his guest politely, already making his way to the tiny bar in his office. "Your usual vodka martini, perhaps?"

"Don't try the host game with me, Ghetsis," Lance said, his face stern as Ghetsis shrugged and poured himself a glass instead. "I'm here about Celadon City. What the hell were your people thinking?"

"Technically the Rockets were never really my people," the older man said between sips of his drink. "But I can see why that should concern you."

"The Game Corner was burned to the ground!"

"A minor causality."

"Rocket Enterprise is destroyed!"

"Better off for it," Ghetsis shrugged. "Capitalism is such a faulty economic theory, anyway."

"I've allowed you to get away with  _murder._ "

"Both figuratively  _and_  literally," the old man winked with a laugh, raising his glass up to the cheer the furious Champion. "Lance, my boy, you are missing the bigger picture here."

"Which is what exactly?" Lance growled, arms crossing over his chest. "Please enlighten me."

"We discovered the last Conduit," Ghetsis grinned, still holding his glass in the air like he was confused as to why his guest refused to celebrate. "We found them!"

Silence swept the room like a wave, the only sound coming from Ghetsis finishing off his drink. He returned the glass to his end table neatly, turning back to the dragon trainer who was still speechless.

"Exciting, yes?"

"Do you…" Lance said, his voice tiny, more than a whisper but smaller than his usual tone. "Do you have them here?"

"Here? Together?" Ghetsis gasped as he mocked surprise. "Oh, my dear boy, you can't just have two Conduits under one roof! Are you mad?"

There was a knock at the door and both men turned to see N slowly enter the study.

"Sorry to interrupt," the teen said, though his features showed no signs of remorse. "Sage Ryoku said you needed to speak with me?"

"Ah, perfect timing, my son," Ghetsis said, grinning as he beckoned the boy over with his hand. "Come here and tell Champion Lance how beneficial it is that the Conduits stay separated."

"All three of them?" N questioned, ignoring the look his father sent him from across the room.

" _Three_?" Lance echoed, looking aghast as he turned to Ghetsis. "You said there were only two!"

"A small miscalculation."

"It's an entire extra person!"

"One of the Conduits who we thought we killed is, in fact, still alive. She is a wonderful girl from Cerulean City who is surely my Conduit partner," N answered, his voice sounding bored as he continued to avoid his father's look. "Alongside her is a nuisance boy, though he has no partner and his powers are nothing compared to my own. Myself included means that all three Conduits are currently residing in your region."

"Ghetsis," Lance managed between gritted teeth and the old man glared at his son, annoyed.

"Natural Harmonia Gropius," Ghetsis hissed at his son, who looked even less interested. "Ensure our guest there is nothing to worry about."

"Of course," N answered, turning to the Champion. "Champion, unless you are worried about how myself, my partner and a third rogue Conduit will be interacting with your region, then you have nothing to fear."

Stunned Ghetsis stared at N, who simply sighed loudly. The fact that Lance's face was turning a deeper shade of red was less than interesting.

"If that is all, may I be excused?"

Lance roared in fury, turning to Ghetsis so quickly his cape flew behind him like flames on the tail of a Rapidash. Taking the front of the older man's cloak into his fists, he pulled Ghetsis towards his face.

"You have until the end of the month to figure this out," he hissed, eyes mad with rage. "Either tame the Conduits or I will tame  _you_. Am I clear?"

As if borrowing his son's apathetic look, Ghetsis replied, "Crystal."

A few heavy seconds passed before Lance released his grip on the green-haired man, turning away and stomping through the study without another word. Moving out of his way, N watched as the Champion slammed the heavy door behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, N sighed as he looked towards his father.

"May I be excus-AUGH!"

Falling to the floor, N held onto his sides as he felt strong electrical waves run through him. Curling into a ball, he writhed in pain though was thankful he didn't bring any of his Pokémon to this meeting. Above him, he heard the loud footsteps of his father, holding the sphere that was sending the electrical current through his body.

"I won't forget that,  _son_ ," Ghetsis growled as he slowly made his way across the room. "Just like I never forgot how much you hate electricity."

N's whimpering escalated into a full-fledged screams as another bolt shot through his body. Above him, Ghetsis caught the boy's chin under his boot, tilting the teen's pale face and green eyes to meet their match. Ghetsis would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy this.

"You think you're hot shit now that you've found her?" he hissed between gritted teeth.

N didn't reply, figuring the question was rhetorical. He assumed correctly as Ghetsis continued.

"Bring her to me."

"But I-AUGHH!"

"Did that sound like a request? No. It was an order," Ghetsis said, turning away from the boy as he made his way to his desk to call one of the Sage's to collect N from the door. He didn't have time to wait for him to recover. "And you should lose that smart mouth of yours before I get rid of it myself."

* * *

Being a Conduit meant Red could do a lot of cool things, like shoot lightning from his fingers and have high-level Pokémon obey him in battle. It also meant a lot of really uncool things, like being poked and prodded by Bill so much that his entire body was so sore that even his fingernails hurt. His  _fingernails_.

It also meant that he hadn't be able to get any alone time with Blue to talk about what happened in the bathroom. Red was growing tired of this constant one-step-forward-nine-steps-back that had been happening ever since Pewter City. Blue had to have liked him back, she wouldn't have kissed him twice if that wasn't the case, right?

He still wasn't sure, but he knew having Blue dodge him whenever she had the chance was not the way to figure it out. It had been only two days since in the incident, but Red knew before any meals or daily "Bill Time" it was impossible to catch her. So, he figured camping in front of her bedroom door in the early hours of the morning was his only option. Yawning, he leaned his chin against the hand that rested on his knee. He woke up early just to catch her - Blue better appreciate it.

"Red!" he heard his mother call from down the stairs and he ignored her. He didn't feel like getting dragged into another one of Bill's weird research parties, and Blue still hadn't left her room. "Red! Are you up?"

"He's up," he heard Blue's voice and instantly he spun around to see the brunette had opened her door and was currently leaning against the doorframe looking amused. Looking down she whispered, "I know what you're doing."

"Then why are you avoiding me?" Red hissed back, jumping to his feet.

"Because I-"

"RED!" Misty called again and the teenager nearly ripped his hair out in frustration. "GET DOWN HERE."

"I'M COMING!" Red barked back, turning to the girl behind him. "Listen, we need to-"

"I know," she said, though by the look in her eyes Red could tell she was uncomfortable. "Let's go before your mom comes up here and drags us down."

Running a hand through his hair, he nodded and turned to make his way downstairs. As he neared the bottom of the steps, Red heard a familiar squeak as Pichu jumped from the floor to climb his leg and up to his shoulder. Smiling, he scratched the tiny electric-type under the chin as he turned to his mother. Next to her stood four women, two of which he recognized as Janine from the interment building and the gym leader Erika.

"Hello again, Red," Janine said with a bow. "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah, ditto," Red greeted, not sure if he was supposed to bow as well. "I'm happy you were able to get out of the Rocket building in one piece."

"I wouldn't have been able to if it weren't for your Pokémon," the gym leader said as she reached on to her belt and handed the teen two familiar balls. "Your Blastoise is especially well-cared for and obedient, you should be very proud."

"Thanks," he smiled, feeling better that he had his entire team back on his belt. Turning to the other two women, Red felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he looked at the short pink-haired woman and tall violet-haired women.

"Oh, you must be the gym leaders Whitney and Sabrina!" Blue gasped and the pink-haired woman seemed more than ecstatic to be recognized.

"Ah! Does that mean you're the ones who were able to free my Sabsy-bear from that nasty underground jail?" she cooed as she engulfed Blue is an overbearing hug. "Ohmigosh, I owe you guys, like, a zillion gym badges!"

"That's not how it works, Whitney," Misty said, seemingly holding back her annoyance with a good-natured smile. Next to her, Sabrina's mood seemed to similar to that of a Purrlion just hosed with a water gun attack. Red wasn't sure if that was due to anything he did, or if she just really hated the nickname 'Sabsy-bear.'

"Whitney, let the girl go," Sabrina said, her voice even. "She is a Conduit and has the potential to blow you and this entire mansion to pieces."

"Awww, but Sabsy she's just so cute," Whitney cooed, before sending a devilish look over her shoulder. "Unless you're uncomfortable with me being so close to other girls? Hmmm?"

Quickly growing flustered, Sabrina turned away from Whitney with a short 'tsk!' allowing the pink-haired girl to go back to pinching Blue's cheeks and asking what kind of shampoo she used. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Red turned to see the serene, smiling face of Erika.

"We haven't been formally introduced, but I am Erika, the Celadon City gym leader," she said, her voice as soothing as a spring breeze.

"Um, hi," Red said eloquently, extending his hand for an clumsy handshake with the woman. Since when did he pick up Green's awkwardness? "I'm...uh...Red."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, her face still tranquil. "I wanted to come and personally thank you and your friends for saving me at the Game Corner. Though my relationship with the Underground has never been ideal, I cannot express my gratitude enough."

"No problem," Red said as Pichu squeaked in agreement on his shoulder. "I'm happy we were able to help."

"Oh, is Ash here?" she asked, turning to Misty. "It has been a while since I've seen him. "

"He left this morning with Bill to meet with Morty in Ecruteak City," Misty explained.

"Oh," Erika said, as if Misty had just told her that she was never allowed to eat ice cream again for the rest of her life. "Will you be able to pass him my gratitude, Misty?"

"Of course," the redhead said with a smile. "Don't even worry about it, Erika."

"Thank you," she said, turning again to Red. "Before I forget, Red, there is something I wanted to give to you."

Red watched as Erika reached into her kimono, pulling out a leaf stone from her sleeve. Smiling, she handed the stone to Red, who stared at her as if she had grown a second head.

"Janine informed me that your Gloom was one of the Pokémon who kept her safe. I wasn't sure if you had any plans of evolving it in the future, but…"

"No, that's fine," Red said, nodding. "Thank you."

The Celadon leader titled her head to the side with a small giggle. Instantly, Red felt a swift kick to his ankle. Frowning he look to see that it was Blue, glaring at him through Whitney's embrace. He couldn't help but laugh.

Maybe there was some hope after all.

"Not that I don't like meeting new people," Blue said, managing to break away from Whitney's grasp long enough to speak. "But why are a third of Kanto's gym leaders here?"

"Because, Blue," Misty said with a wink. "We're going to unlock your full potential!"

"Full...potential?" the teens echoed in unison.

"Yup!" Whitney grinned, hands on her hips. "Since you guys are both Conduits, you take your powers from Pokémon. Who better than to understand what your powers are or what you can do than the regions top Pokémon trainers?"

Red tilted his head in acknowledgment, that did make some sense.

"Due to the high amount of dangerous attacks on gym leaders in the regions, the Pokémon League has suspended any gym battles," Janine explained. "That gives us time to stay and train with you until you have a better understanding of your powers and their capabilities."

"And it's not like space appears to be an issue," Sabrina added.

Red exchanged looks with Blue, feeling his stomach flip. On one side, Red understood just how upset this whole situation had made Blue. Part of him wondered how she would be able to handle the idea of maybe having to use her abilities for an ultimate end. On the other, he really couldn't think of any other option in figuring out more about their powers.

"So, whatdaya say?" Misty said, hands on her hips. "Are you guys up for some intense training?"

"Sure...I mean, it was between that and working on my tan," Blue said, turning away from Red's confused face with a smile. "When do we start?"

"Now," Sabrina answered, crossing her arms looking stern. "You'll be going to the White Room."


	30. The White Room

"Wait," Ash said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the chalkboard for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Can you say that again, but in words that a normal person can understand?"

Bill sighed loudly as Morty turned to Lenora, giving her his usual deadpan look. Even Pikachu seemed peeved at his trainer's density.

"Okay, let's try this one more time," Lenora said with a slight edge to her voice as she pointed to the chalkboard. "In two months, the solar system will undergo a massive syzygy."

"Which is when at least three planets in a gravitational system align," Bill added, turning to Ash. "Just um...so you know."

"Yeah, I got that part," Ash said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "So what does this synergy-"

"Syzygy," Lenora corrected."

"Gesundheit," Ash said, not missing a beat as he continued. "What does this have to do with the Conduits appearing?"

"Well, we already know that the Conduits appear when there's a natural shift, like what happened with the Great Tsunami of the Kanto Sea." Lenora continued. "The problem was, during all our research we were looking for natural shifts that were happening on this planet and we never looked bigger."

"But you did?"

"We did."

"Once I thought about the syzygy, all it took was a call to Lenora to confirm its occurrence," Morty said, pointing to the board. "In two months, every planet in our solar system will be aligned causing a gravitational shift unlike anything we've ever seen before."

"So...is this a bad thing?"

"Well, that depends, right?" Bill said, turning to Lenora. "I know researchers and scientists around the world have different theories on what this phenomenon is going to accomplish, but I think for our purposes we need to think about how this is going to affect Pokémon."

"And considering Plasma is hustling like hell to snatch them up," Lenora said. "I have a feeling it's going to have a huge impact."

"What about the balance?" Ash asked, looking at Lenora and Morty. "Since Max is gone, we only have Red, Blue and that Plasma kid. Someone doesn't have a match."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Plasma was hoping for that," Morty said, arms crossed. "If only their guy has a match, they can just knock off the extra and use the syzgy to take total control."

"If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say the extra would be Red," Bill said as he turned to Ash. "Now that the Meowth's out of the bag, so to say, they know that Blue is alive."

"But they don't know where she is, so that give us time." Ash added, his eyes hard. "We just need to make sure Red and Blue can control their powers and work together so during the what-cha-ma-call-it they can maintain order."

"Will that work, though?" Lenora asked, head tilted to the side. "I mean, they are teeangers. Sometimes they can be, you know...fussy."

"Nah, I think they'll be fine," Ash said with his usual smile. "I mean, they seem to get along pretty well. What can go wrong?"

* * *

"Can you  _not_  lurk around my room like a creepy stalker?" Blue called, opening her door a crack to throw a shoe out that narrowly missed Red's head. "Thanks."

"Can you  _not_  pretend that this is totally okay and you didn't have an anxiety attack about being a Conduit?" Red answered, Pichu jumping from his shoulder to chase the shoe. " _Thanks_."

"Look, if this is about the bathroom thing-" Blue said as she exited her room in her activewear. Instantly, she was stopped by Red's arm blocking the hallway.

"Yes, it  _is_  about the bathroom thing," he said, his voice low. "It's about everything. We need to talk about that, about you and about...us."

Blue ran her hands through her hair, groaning loudly. Red knew what she was trying to do, and he wasn't falling for it. He stood still, his arm still blocking the hall. Unless Sabrina grew so impatient she physically pulled Red down the stairs, Blue wasn't going anywhere.

"Red, I really don't want to talk about this right now," she groaned, staring up at him with blue eyes. "Can we just...take a raincheck?"

"Not really," Red said, his stare not leaving her. "Because if we're going to work together we need to trust each other."

"I do trust you."

"Then talk to me."

Blue groaned again and tried to physically move Red's arm out of the way, but to no avail. When she gave up on trying to move his arm, she instead tried to push him over, her socks sliding backwards against the wooden floor. It was really cute and he would've laughed if it wasn't such a serious situation.

"C'mon, Sabrina's going to get mad," she huffed, hands pressed against Red's chest. "Let's g-"

"I like you," he said, finally. His dark eyes set on her as she froze, hands still pressed against him. "I like you a lot, Blue."

"Red…"

"I know you think this is awkward and you're freaking out," he said, taking her hands in his, intertwining their fingers. "But I want to be with you."

Silence.

Blue swallowed hard, blushing as she turned away. At the end of the stairs, they heard Whitney call their names. Red sighed, about to release Blue's hands to make his way downstairs when she felt her grip tighten. Startled, he looked down to see that she had turned back to him, her eyes sparkling.

"I do too," she said, her voice tiny. "But...I don't know if we can."

Whitney's calls continued and they both let go. Red waited as Blue slipped on her sneakers before following the other down the stairs. On the sofa, Misty, Janine and Erika were chatting over tea while Whitney stood at the foot of the stairs, arms crossed and pouting.

"Geez, what took you guys so long?" the pink-haired woman groaned, taking both teens by the arms to drag them towards the door. "Let's go, Sabsy is waiting!"

"Good luck, honey!" Misty called with a small wave.

As he was pulled, Red felt tiny paws climb up his back before settling on his shoulder. Turning slightly, he felt a little better when he saw Pichu, squeaking happily with its tail in the air.

"C'mon, Sabsy is going to be so miffed!" Whitney said over her shoulder as they exited the house.

"She seems like the type that's always 'miffed'," Red said in an attempt to mask how upset he felt with snark. He was good at that.

"Sabsy? Oh no, she's actually really sweet," Whitney said, smiling as they neared Sabrina meditating on the sand. "She just puts that facade up, but it doesn't really work. You'll see she's actually really caring."

"Whitney!" Sabrina growled, obviously not as deep in thought as she appeared. Laughing, Whitney winked before letting go of the teens and running to Sabrina's side. Rising to her feet, Red felt that the woman seemed a bit more intimidating (as if that was possible) as the waves of the beach crashed behind her.

"So…" Blue said slowly, rocking back and forth on the heels of her sneakers. "When are we going to the White Room?"

"Ha!" Whitney laughed, nudging Sabrina in the ribs in jest. "They think it's a place!"

"Wait...it's not?" Red questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Nope," Whitney said, balancing on one foot as she pressed her hands together in front of her. "It is a state of being."

"I'm not following," Blue said, her eyes shifting to Sabrina who was pulling two Poké Balls from her belt. With a flick of her wrists, two Alakazams appeared.

"You will soon," Sabrina said, unable to hide her smirk. With a snap of her fingers, both Pokémon stood straight, mumbling something under their breaths before thrusting their hands forward towards the teens. After a quick flash of light, both teens feel backwards into the soft sand, unconscious. Flying from Red's shoulder, Pichu tumbled forwarded and was caught easily by Whitney. Confused, the tiny electric-type looked around, baffled by the fact that its trainer was currently passed out in the sand.

"Oh, perhaps I should have been a bit easier on them," Sabrina said, turning to the pink-haired girl who was petting Pichu. "I forgot that Pokémon attacks have a stronger effect on them."

"They'll be fine," Whitney said, swatting the air as if she were physically swiping the psychic's concerns away. "But you should get in there and lead 'em."

"Right," Sabrina said, lowering herself back on the sand. She looked up at Whitney, cheeks slightly flushed. "You will...be here when I awake, right?"

Whitney couldn't help but laugh, leaning over to press a chaste kiss on the other woman's cheek, "Of course...I promised you I'd never leave you again, didn't I?"

Turning away slightly, Sabrina nodded before closing her eyes. Within seconds, her body glowed a light violet as she lifted off and floated above the sands. Flopping onto the ground with Pichu sitting comfortably in her lap, Whitney flipped open her Pokégear to play a game as Sabrina's Alakazams mumbled incoherently.

* * *

Red gasped as he sat up quickly, feeling as if he was just pushed into the main pool of his mother's gym. Breathing heavily, he patted down his body to make sure that everything was still in one piece. Motioning to run his hand through his hair, he came in contact with a hat. Curiously, he pulled it off his head to see that it was the same one he had left in Celadon City when Green made him change for the ball.

Interesting.

Climbing to his feet, he dusted his jeans off as he looked around to see the large expanse of nothingness surrounding him.

"Well, it is a white room," he said to himself and jumped when he suddenly heard his voice echo, seemingly bouncing off the either.

_White Room. White Room. White. White. Room. Room._

Okay,  _that_  was going to get old fast.

Not needing to hear his voice echo, Red figured the best means of action was to just keep his thoughts to himself. His mother always said it was rude to talk to yourself.

_Rude. Rude. Rude._

"Ugh, seriously?" Red groaned. "Mind reading, too?"

"Nothing is a secret in the White Room," came a voice of what sounded like a little girl.

Turning around, Red was face-to-face with a small doll in a white dress, white hat and holding what looked like a tiny plushie of a Miltank.

"ACK!" he shrieked, freaked out by doll as he took ten steps backwards. "What the hell?!"

"Welcome to the White Room," doll said as it floated in the air. "The deepest part of your psyche."

"Why is a creepy doll in the deepest part of my psyche?"

"My name is Rina and I am your guide, sent by Sabrina."

"That doesn't surprise me, actually." Red said, slowly turning around while still keeping an eye on the doll. "But I feel like something's missing."

Suddenly, a loud yell echoed through the space and Red blinked as a tiny spec grew larger as it hurried towards him. Quickly, he recognized the figure as Blue, wearing the same outfit her grandmother had given her at the start of their journey. Her eyes were closed tight as she barreled forward, colliding directly with Red and sending them both tumbling into the whiteness.

"Oh!" Blue said, lifting her head to see that she was nose-to-nose with Red, who was currently blushing. "Found you."

"Why are  _you_  in the deepest part of my psyche?" he asked, growing annoyed.

"Because she takes up a large part of your thoughts," Rina explained, floating by the teens.

"Aw, do I really, Red?" Blue smiled, as Red's blush deepened.

"N-no!"

_Lies. Lies. Lies._

"Shut up!" Red yelled at...well, he wasn't even sure what he was yelling at. The room? Blue? That creepy doll thing? Feeling exhausted (and slightly embarrassed), he suddenly had an intense desire to crawl back to bed. Suddenly, Rina appeared again, looking gleeful.

"Is this the real Blue?" he asked, sending an annoyed look at the doll while pointing at the other teen who pouted. "Or some manifestation of my mind...or whatever?"

"Since you both are Conduits, your psyches were easy to bridge together," Rina explained, floating lazily. "The White Room is everywhere, not just one person's psyche."

"Yeah, so I am real, jerk," Blue frowned, making a biting motion towards his finger that he quickly retracted. "So quit pointing at me!"

He glared at the brunette who was still in his lap - he was feeling weird that the girl who just rejected him minutes earlier was suddenly so touchy.

"Now we shall begin the process of connecting both your psyches together," Rina announced with a giggle.

"Wait, what?!" Red sputtered, but it was too late as the doll vanished, her giggles echoing the room.

The white area around them faded away as he felt the ground beneath him give, sending him falling. Grabbing Blue to his chest, they tumbled backwards before splashing into some sort of ocean-like space. He felt Blue's arms wrap around his neck as they floated, and he held his breath as he looked down at the girl. Blinking, she opened her mouth and noticed that she could breathe.

"You don't need to hold your breath here," she said, turning to him so their noses were nearly touching. "We can breath for some reason."

Red exhaled and saw that she was right, though they floated through the blue abyss as if it were water. Around them, large water-type Pokémon like Wailmer, Wailord and Milotic swam passed. Blue's hair floated around her like some dark auburn halo and Red bit his bottom lip to keep himself from kissing her.

He watched as her eyes rolled upward and his own followed, seeing bright rays of light shining down from the surface. She floated back slightly, arms untangling themselves from his neck, as she floated on her own inches away from him. Taking her hand (since he was always the stronger swimmer, not because he missed her touch or anything), he tugged her slightly as he led her towards the surface. Breaking through, the first thing they noticed was the familiar surroundings.

They were in the Cerulean City gym.

"Wow," Blue said, pulling her hand away from Red's as she lifted herself out of the pool and onto the sidelines. Not a lick of water stuck to her, not even her hair. "It's like the Rocket attack never happened. Everything is here like nothing happened."

"Makes sense, it's not like we're at the actual gym."

"Right."

They sat at the edge of the pool in silence, looking around the space where so many battles were fought for gym badges by his mother and aquatic shows were performed by his aunts. Pulling a leg to chest, Red rested his chin on his knee in thought. He felt Blue tug on his hat and he shift his glaze to the girl, who looked playful.

"I see you spawned your hat back," she smiled. "That's so typical of you."

"I missed it," he shrugged. "You know my dad gave it to me before he left, right?"

"I didn't know you were calling him 'dad,' again."

He shrugged again, "Things seem easier here."

"Yeah," she said, her voice trailing off. "They do."

They sat in comfortable silence for a bit, something Red forgot they could do. As usual, it was Blue who broke the quiet.

"About what I said before," she said, looking down at the pool. "Just because I said I didn't know if we could, doesn't mean I don't want to."

"Oh?" he managed, eloquently. Even in this bizarre world, he was terrible with these kinds of conversations.

"Yes," she said, laughing slightly as she leaned over the pool to trace shapes in the water. He recognized one as a heart. How silly. "I'm just scared. My entire life I've had people taken from me and I never felt like I had a real family. Even the family I thought I had wasn't my real family in the end...I'm always in emotional limbo when it comes to people. I don't know if I can have another thing taken away from me."

She looked up at Red, her blue eyes shining brightly next to the pool. He felt the familiar grip of thorns around his heart, tightening with every word that passed her lips. Every blink of her eyelashes. He wondered if the thorns would split it in half.

"I think that's bullshit," he said, simply and he saw the shock run across Blue's face.

"You...what?"

"I think it's bullshit," he repeated, staring down at his hands. "When we started this journey I thought I was just going to win a few badges and try my shot at the Pokémon League. But that's not what happend at all - my home was destroyed, my dad reentered my life, we took down a major crime syndicate, I found out I was a Conduit...I've had nothing but things taken away and thrown back at me since we started this."

He turned to her, taking hold of her hand again.

"But during this whole thing, you've always been there with me. Like when we were kids, you were always there pushing me forward, making me better, challenging me. I don't know if you awoke it inside me at the Pewter Museum or if it was always lingering under the surface, but what I feel for you is more than just an intense friendship - it's more. Even if it's intensified by us both being Conduits, it's something I wouldn't allow to be taken away."

"That's so like you," Blue said softly, her face red. "Always finding a way around things."

"Maybe...but I can tell you one thing for sure," he said, smiling slightly as he reached out and took a strand of her hair in his hand, letting it fall between his fingers. "Unlike Green, I won't be able to just fall back into being your friend after all this. I'm way more stubborn and selfish than he is."

"You can say that again," she smiled, turning to climb back into his lap her arms wrapped around his neck. "So...are you sure about this?"

"Yes," he said, arms around her waist as he smiled what felt like the first true smile of his entire life. "Are you?"

"Yes," she said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Are you actually crying?" he teased, reaching out to wipe away a few with the pad of his thumb.

"S-shut up!"

"You really are such a crybaby sometimes," he said between his smile. "Is that how you're going to try to save N?"

"H-how did you know?" she gasped.

"Lucky guess," he sighed, resting his hands behind him so he was leaning backwards. "I figured there was a reason you were suddenly so gung-ho about training with everyone. Also, I know you weren't exactly comfortable with the idea of killing anyone."

She nodded slowly, "Are you...mad at me?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I mean, I would like to smash the guy's face in for what he did to Green, but to be honest I don't think I have it in me to actually kill another person. Even as a Conduit, I don't think I can actually...do that."

"I just...have a feeling there's something more to him than what we're seeing," she said, looking slightly bashful. "At the Rocket building, when I was hit with Jigglypuff's attack I wasn't unconscious. It was weird...it was like I was super conscious and that I could feel every emotion and thought going through your head and N's head...it was a lot like what happened to me when Riolu used Aura Share on us - do you remember?"

Red nodded, though his experience was slightly different. The only thing he could "feel" was the Pokémon's energy flow through him like he was some power-strip. The memories shared with him was all through Riolu, nothing from his part. Perhaps that's what made him and Blue different Conduits - while he was able to conduct powers through him like a current, she was able to convene them like a battery.

"He felt so scared and desperate during that fight," she continued. "Like he had no choice...I know this sounds like I'm making an excuse for him, but I'm not. I'm as upset about Green as anyone, but part of me can't just ignore the fact that maybe N's just as looped into this sick world just as we are and…"

"And you don't want to punish him if that's the case." Red finished and she nodded, looking up at him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she said, leaning forward towards him. "I just didn't know how to say it without everyone thinking that I couldn't handle being a Conduit. I just don't want anyone else to get hurt."

Red understood, though he wasn't sure if he agreed with Blue's sentiments. However, he trusted her judgment - she often made the best calls when she followed her heart.

_Heart. Heart. Heart._

Looking up at the echo, both teens shared a look of annoyance.

"That really is annoying," Blue said, wrinkling her nose. "I'm over this place."

"Yeah, me too," he said, leaning forward. "So...how do we get out of here?"

"Well, our creepy guide said we have to connect both our psyches together," she answered, faking thought. "How do you think we do that?"

"I have an idea..." he said, slowly leaning forward to close the gap between them.

_Pervert. Pervert. Pervert._

"God," he groaned as Blue laughed joyously in front of him at her own trick. "You're so annoying."

"Of course," she laughed, pushing up the brim of his hat as she leaned forward so their foreheads were touching. "Okay, now kiss me for real."

With a playful grin he obliged, closing the gap between them as a flash of white light overtook them both.


	31. Red's Hat

Gary sighed loudly as he pressed the pay phone receiver between his ear and his shoulder. Leaning against the side of the hospital's phone booth, he stared at the scratching of "C+L 4 Ever" in the wall.

"So, you're saying we got two months?"

"Seems so," came Ash's voice from the other end of the call. He knew the man's Pokégear was crap as he sounded as if he was talking from space and not just Ecruteak City. "I just got off the phone with Misty, she said they're going to train Red and Blue."

"They who?"

"Kanto's leaders," there was a pause. "Erika was there."

Gary couldn't hold back his laughter, "Are you kidding me? After all the crap we pulled over the years to get her onboard, NOW she wants to help us?"

"I don't think it was about that…" Ash said, his voice taking a different tone. "She...never mind."

"What?"

"It's nothing," Ash said and Gary knew his best friend well enough to know that it was anything but nothing. But he didn't press it - not yet, anyway. "How's Green doing? Is he feeling better?"

"He's getting there. He's mobile now and just finished his morning physical therapy session with Daisy."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, we're going to try to get him discharged by the end of the week," Gary continued, twirling the phone's cord around his index finger mindlessly. "His shoulder is still in bad shape, but the rest of his injuries are healing well. I think getting him back with everyone will help with his recovery. Daisy said the ocean air will help too, or something."

"Wait, is Daisy's coming, too?"

"Yeah, she's going to help Green with his physical therapy," Gary paused, hearing Ash groan. "What now? And don't say nothing."

"Ugh….Sabrina's at Bill's place," he groaned. "Whitney and her are training Red and Blue as we speak."

"HA!" Gary cackled as Ash's groans grew louder. "That's amazing!"

"No it's not, and you know it!" he whined.

"Remember the last time they were in the same room together Sabrina nearly sent all of Pallet Town into a coma?" he laughed. "Ohhh man, I dunno what the hell kind of break up those two had, but I can't say that any of my exs hate me  _that_  much."

"Gary! Make sure Daisy behaves herself!"

"You know my sister, Ashy-boy," Gary said, smiling viciously. "Nobody can make her do anything."

Another groaned and the other man could hardly keep his laughter to himself.

"Anyway, I gotta go," Gary said, finger on the trigger of the phone. "I'll call Misty when we're heading over. Smell ya later."

After Ash's own goodbye, Gary slammed the receiver of the phone back on its dock with a frown. While the idea of his sister and her ex-girlfriend fighting to the death was, indeed, hilarious, he couldn't push away how distant Ash had been regarding Erika. It was obvious what the "nothing" was about - it's name was Butch. Or rather, the lack of Butch's body at the Rocket rubble.

Shaking his head, Gary pushed passed the sliding door of the payphone and made his way back down the hospital's hallway. He didn't feel bad at all about what he did, and honestly if Little Miss Greenpeace wanted to berate him about it, so be it.

He rounded a corner to Green's room, knocking once before he was greeted with what sounded like his son and sister fighting.

"Ow!"

"I said don't move!"

"I didn't move, I yelped!" Green pouted, turning to see Gary in the doorway. "Oh...hey, Dad."

"Having fun?" Gary smiled, ruffling his son's hair as he took a seat in the corner of the room.

"Your son has the lowest pain threshold I've ever encountered," Daisy groaned, taking a step back with her fingers on the bridge of her nose to combat the headache forming between her eyes.

Green stood with his back to her, wearing sweatpants and no shirt. Still heavily bandaged and pale, the teenager looked more uncomfortable than pained as he continued his shoulder exercises. On his hospital bed, Yellow sat crossed legged, sipping Green's extra mini-carton of chocolate milk. Gary wondered if his son had told the girl if she could have it.

"Well excuse me for getting  _stabbed,_ " the teen said, exasperatedly.

"You are not excused," Yellow said simply, taking another sip of chocolate milk. Green sent her a look that read  _And you are not helping._

"You're such a baby," Daisy sighed, leaning her hand on her hip.

"This really hurts, though," Green whined. "And aren't you a doctor? Shouldn't you be more compassionate?"

"Pfft, please," she said, throwing a piece of hair over her shoulder as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Anyway, the goal of shoulder rehabilitation in this stage is to allow the tissues to heal and to prevent muscle wasting. If it's really hurting you that much, maybe we can do something else."

"Like what?"

"Electrotherapy," Daisy said, smiling wickedly and suddenly Green was more than ready to get back to his acute exercises.

* * *

When Ash and Bill landed in front of the villa that night, the first thing he noticed was Blue's Charizard sitting out front. As Bill called back his Fearow and headed inside, Ash watched as the girl's Charizard made its way to his own. Smiling at the fire-type, the dark-haired man stroked the Pokémon's nose.

"You're a little thing, aren't ya?" he cooed and noticed the Pokémon stiffen. "Oh, sorry - you probably don't like being called that, huh?"

With a grunt, Blue's Charizard turned to Ash's own- the contrast in their size, coloring and scars reminded the man just how much older his Pokémon had grown in their time together. Looking at Pikachu sleeping on his shoulder, the white fur that surrounded its muzzle and the lighter color of its hair, he remembered just how quickly age had caught up to them all.

He walked through the door after Bill to see the researcher looking distressed.

"What's up?" he asked, and the other man sighed, pointing to the main area of the floor. Walking through the short hall, Ash saw his wife sitting on the sofa next to their son, his thin frame curled over the bucket as he heaved. On the rug below them, Blue sat cross legged, Jigglypuff in her lap.

"Janine was training us with poison-types tonight," she explained as Ash slowly made his way to the scene. "Turns out I'm not affected by status-changing attacks, but Red is really sensitive to them."

"She used a poison powder," Misty explained with a tiny smile, rubbing Red's back at the teen heaved again into the bucket. "We gave him an antidote, but it looks like he's just going to have to power through it."

Red pulled back, resting his chin on the edge of the bucket. Pichu scurried from its trainers side to Ash's, looking up at Pikachu with tiny, unblinking eyes. Pikachu's tail twitched, seemingly annoyed.

"Hey!" Ash scolded, shaking his shoulder slightly. "Be nice!"

Blue stood to her feet, walking around to stand in front of Pikachu with a smile before scratching the Pokémon behind the ears, Ash could tell by the happy noises Pikachu made that the electric-type was won. Feeling jealous, Pichu climbed up Blue's pant-leg and up to her shoulder, squeaking for attention. She laughed, scratching him behind the ear as well.

"I'll get Red some water," she said, turning on the heel of her socks. "Do you guys want anything?"

Ash and Misty shook their heads as the girl exited the room with Jigglypuff at her side. Behind her, Pichu turned around to meet eyes with Pikachu, looking combative. Pikachu's cheeks tingled, sparking slightly. Red groaned, dipping in head into the bucket as Misty ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm gonna die," his voice echoed inside the bucket.

"No, you won't," Misty cooed, lovingly. "It'll be over soon."

They sat in silence for a bit, and eventually Ash stood up. In the corner of her eye, Misty watched as her husband exited the room, an uncomfortable air around him. She turned back to her son with a sigh.

Later that night, Bill and Ash gathered everyone around - Misty, Blue, Red, Blaine, Janine, Sabrina and Whitney - to explain their situation. After Bill corrected Ash's pronunciation of "Syzygy" several times, it seemed that a timeline was set.

"In two months," Bill said, circling a date on his calendar. "We'll have the autumn equinox, which is when the syzygy will commence. Johto seems to be the best location to station ourselves - preferably somewhere high."

"The Bell Tower?" Whitney offered. "It's strong spiritual power can be helpful - also, it's where Ho-Oh is said to perch."

"Seems smart," Ash nodded turning to Blue and a less sickly looking Red. "What do you guys think?"

"Johto works," Blue said, nodding with Red. "We can use the Magnet Train to get to Goldenrod."

"And what about Plasma?" Sabrina asked, looking concerned. "Even if we manage to stay hidden until then, they will be sure to look for us during the syzygy."

"We'll have half the regions gym leaders here by then," Blaine offered with a smile. "Our number one priority is to get these two over the border and into Johto."

"Our Pokédexs are still hacked from Yellow," Red added. "As long as we keep a low profile, travel shouldn't be an issue."

"Hacked Pokédexs..." Janine said with a shake of her head. "The honor of the Pokémon League is nothing but a mere memory."

The room faded into silence, nobody really knowing a proper way to respond.

* * *

Ash hung his hat on the chair in the bedroom Bill's housekeeper assigned him and Misty to sleep in during their stay at the villa. The room was spacious and included an attached master bathroom and more closet space than either of them knew what to do with, all things considered. Sitting on the bed, he heard from the door at the other side of the room that Misty was in the shower. Pikachu jumped from his shoulder to curl up into the tiny pillow-bed on the floor, falling to sleep almost instantly. He couldn't help but feel envious.

He heard the squeak of the faucet and a few minutes later Misty emerged from the steamy room, wrapped in a bath robe as she towel dried her red hair. Seeing him on the bed, she smiled as she made her way towards him, climbing into his lap. He felt himself melt as the warmth of her hot skin touched his calloused hands.

"You should get some sleep," she whispered in his ear, arms wrapped around his neck. "You have to be up early tomorrow."

"Not that early," he leaned back, slowly. The robe was big on her, sliding off her shoulder to reveal smooth skin and collarbone. "We can stay up a little later and...catch up..."

His lips tickled again her neck, leaving a trail of light kisses in their wake.

"But you'll never catch any fish that way."

"Wait...fish?" Ash squeaked, pulling back as his wife nodded. She leaned across him to reach towards to the bed stand, pulling tiny objects from the drawer. When she reeled back he saw two familiar tiny lures - the ones shaped in her likeness.

"Don't think I didn't notice how awkward you and Red are with each other," she said, looking proud of herself. "What better way for a father and son to make up over a decade of absence than fishing, right?"

Before Ash knew what was happening, his wife had pushed the tiny lures into his hand, kissing him on the nose before scurrying to her side of the bed.

"You should rest up," she said over her shoulder with a wink. "I set both your alarms for 4:00am tomorrow!"

Ash felt something rise up in his throat, and he couldn't figure if it was a sob or if he had caught Red's poison.

* * *

Red sat the the bottom of the stairs, exhausted and angry. He didn't even bother waking up his Pokémon, he wasn't cruel enough to force anyone else to awaken at this ungodly hour. Within a few minutes, he heard the groan of his parent's door open and the stomps of feet coming down the stairs. Red took some relief in seeing his father look as miserable as he felt. His mother, on the other hand, looked shining and ecstatic.

If only the poison had lasted a second day.

"Morning," Ash greeted, instantly yawning in his hand.

"Where's Pikachu?" Red asked, noticing his father's starter was currently not sitting on his shoulder.

"He took one look at the clock, snorted and went back to sleep," he answered, turning to his wife. "Like a sensible creature."

"Oh come off it, you're going to have a blast," Misty said, adjusting her husband's hat before pushing both boys out the door. "Now remember to be back by noon, Janine is excited to show you part two of her training."

"What does this entail?" Red groaned, humorlessly. "Anthrax?"

"Better! Paralysis!" Misty smiled, sending the boys out onto the sandy beach with a final shove. "Have fun!"

The door shut with a slam, leaving Ash and Red no choice but to walk out into the darkened beach, fishing poles in hand, to spend the morning together. Silently, they walked along the beach before setting up themselves at the end of one of the island's docks. Reaching into his bag, Red pulled out the box of lures his mother had packed, face falling slightly when he saw that they were all shaped like her.

"I can't believe she actually thinks these work," he grumbled, threading his line through it effortlessly. Adjusting himself to cast his line, he looked over to see his father hunched over, still trying to thread the hook. He waited a bit, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.

Could it be that his father, the great Ash Ketchum, couldn't tie a fishing hook?

Glancing sideways, he cast his line quietly. He figured he'd give it another minute.

The minute wasn't nearly long enough, as after a few seconds he heard his father grumble some sort of swear to some sort of deity under his breath. Red secured his rod to the holster he set up along the dock and crouched down next to his father.

"Here," he said, taking the line from him and threading it slowly. "The more you do it, the more likely you are to frey the wiring."

After one missed try, Red managed the successfully tie the hook and lure.

"Heh, thanks," Ash said, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. "It's been a while since I had to tie one of those things."

Red nodded, handing his father the rod so he could cast his own line. Taking hold of his own rod, Red took a seat on the edge of the dock, feet swinging over the water as he watched Ash wind up for his cast. It was less than impressive, though it did manage to hit water and not take Red's ear off, which was good enough. The dock groaned slightly as Ash took a seat next to Red, both sitting with their legs swinging over the edge of the wood, fishing rods in hand.

"Oh, I forgot," Ash said, finagling his rod between his elbow as he reached for something inside his backpack. "I picked up something for you."

Red looked at the bag skeptically as his father pulled out what appeared to be a baseball hat. Handing it to him, Red took it with his free hand, examining it closely. Unlike his old hat, which was red with a white bill, this one was all red with the exception of the top, which was white.

"I figured since you lost your old one in Celadon City, this could be a good replacement." Ash said, shrugging. "That old one was the same hat I gave you, wasn't it?"

Red didn't answer, instead he ran his fingers across the lining of the fabric. It was new, tough and needed to be broken in.

"Um...well, anyway, I hope you like it."

"I do," he said, flipping it onto his head. It fit perfectly. "Thank you."

Ash nodded, seemingly happy with how the gift turned out. Repositioning his pole, they both turned their attention back on the ocean, falling into silent. The sounds of the waterfront Pokémon scurrying across the sand was peaceful. Across the ocean, he watched a pair of Wingull fly across the water. Red was just in the middle of enjoying the quietness when, of course, his father had to break it.

"Want to play a game?"

"Not really."

"It's called Yes, No, Pass," Ash said, ignoring Red's answer. "You go back and forth with yes or no questions and you only get to use one pass on a question. The person who says pass twice loses."

The teen was quiet for a second, eyebrows raised in thought, "And you need to be honest in your answers?"

"Well, yeah," Ash said, looking confused. "I mean, what's the point of answering if you're not going to be honest."

Red had a lot of reasons, none of which he would voice vocally, "Alright, you start."

"Sure, ummmm," the man said, looking up in thought. "Do you like water-types?"

"Yeah," Red said, still staring at the water in front of him. "Though it's not like I had a choice in the matter."

"Ha...true, I suppose growing up in the gym was a lot, huh?" Ash smiled. "Is that why you picked a Squirtle as your starter?"

"No, I was kinda forced into that one, but I don't mind, he's a good Pokémon," Red said, his expression still even. "By the way, that was two questions."

"Oh, you're right!" Ash laughed, a little too forcefully if Red was concerned. "Okay, your turn."

Red paused, mulling over his options. He didn't really want to waste the morning asking lame questions about favorite Pokémon-types. It's not like his father didn't come up with the game, in any case.

"Okay," Red said, eyes not leaving the ocean. "Did you miss me when you left?"

"I should've saw that coming…"

"You can always say pass," Red shrugged, adjusting his line.

"Of course I'm not going to pass," Ash said, looking sincerely angry at his son. "I missed you more than you'd ever know. Do you know how shitty it was to watch you grow up via old pictures that your mother would give to Gary?"

"It was pretty shitty to be in those pictures alone, too," Red said, solemnly. "Anyway, it's your turn."

"Fine," Ash sighed, slipping his rod in the dock holster. "Do you hate me?"

Finally Red turned around to face his father, nearly dropping his fishing rod off the dock, "Wh-what?"

"You can always say-"

"Damn it, I'm not gonna say pass!" Red shot, slamming his fishing rod in its holster and shaking his head in frustration. "But that's not a really fair question. I mean...there were times when I did. Like, when I was eight and there was a Father's Day event at school and I pretended to be sick so I didn't have to go. And sometimes when Uncle Gary would pick up Green and I would wonder what it would've been like if you didn't leave…"

"Red…"

"But I don't think I actually ever really hated you," Red said, feeling his chest tighten. "I think I just...I just didn't understand. I know now why you left and how you felt but back then...for all that time…"

Red didn't realize he was crying until he felt the hot stream of tears cascade down his face. Feeling embarrassed, he tried to rubbed them away with his hands. God, how old was he?

"I just...wanted you to come home," he sobbed and instantly felt himself be pulled forward, hitting his father's chest as he was engulfed in an embraced. The fact that he smelled the same only made Red cry harder.

"I'm so sorry, Red," Ash said as Red burrowed his face into his shoulder, soaking it with tears. "I just wanted to keep you safe. I never knew...never thought to think that where I had to be was here the whole time."

"Y-you mean...because I'm a Conduit?"

"No," he said, holding him tighter. "Because you're my son."


	32. Erika's Terms

Green watched as Yellow scrunched her nose while she took a seat next to him on the bed. She was holding the strange, gray shoulder stabilizer that was supposed to keep his arm from popping out of its socket. At least, that's what his aunt had told him.

"It looks odd," she said, turning the brace around in her hands as she continued to inspect it. "Like armor for a knight."

He sent her a look and she quickly blushed and turned away.

"But not in a cool way or anything," she added hastily and he couldn't help but smile. Yellow was cute when she didn't want to be.

"Of course not," Green teased, laughing softly before stopping with a groan. That still hurt.

"Have your wounds not fully healed yet?" Yellow asked, not needing an answer as she eyed the bandages that still wrapped around his mid-section and shoulder.

Green opened his mouth to answer, though quickly closed it with a strangled noise when he felt Yellow place her hand on his chest. Swallowing hard, he watched as her tiny hand traveled around the bandages, up to his shoulder where she eventually looked up. Their eyes met intensely and her blush grew deeper. He reached up, taking her hand into his own. It was warm, even if their fingers weren't intertwined.

"Yellow, I-" Green began as the door to his room was slammed opened, causing the blonde to jump as far away from him as possible without falling off the bed. Furiously, Green turned towards the door in a rage that was cooled when he saw it was his father.

"Hi, kiddies," Gary greeted, eyeing both the now flustered teens cheekily. "Oh, did I interrupt a moment?"

"No!" Green barked, clearing his throat in an attempt to hide his blush. "I was just showing Yellow my shoulder stabilizer."

"Ah, to be young and show girls your shoulder stabilizers," the man said in a faux-nostalgic tone. "Those were the days."

Green glared at his father as Yellow rose from the bed.

"I am going to get some juice from the vending machine," Yellow said as she headed towards the door. "Would either or you like anything?"

Both Oak men shook their heads and with a nod she left, closing the door behind her. Gary sent a smirk to his son as he took a seat in a plastic chair and rested his feet up on the room's window sill.

"So," he began, resting his chin on his hand lazily. "Looks like asking Yellow to keep tabs on you is working out, huh?"

"Wait! You're the one who told that to her?" Green exclaimed, looking annoyed. "I thought that was Ash!"

Gary threw his head back in laughter, his feet hitting the floor hard as Green felt the heat rise back up in his face.

"Nope that was all me," the man said, disgustingly proud of himself. "I saw her when I was on my way to Viridian and told her to keep an eye out for you. I figured you'd be fast friends, but of course she takes things so literally you'd think I had sent her on some sort of mission."

Green laughed awkwardly, because yes. That's exactly what he had thought as well.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Do you like her?" Gary asked raising an eyebrow and Green shrunk into himself. "Awwww, Green!"

"Dad stop!" he whined as he turned away from his father. "This is embarrassing!"

"No, it's not! She's cute!" Gary leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Does she know? Did you tell her?"

"N-no," Green stammered, feeling the intense desire for the floor to swallow him whole.

"Why not? She's totally into you!" he said as Green shook his head and Gary huffed loudly. "She was basically attached to your bed when you were recovering, kiddo. Your aunt actually thought you were already a thing, to be honest."

Green swallowed hard, while he wanted to believe his father he had the sinking feeling that Yellow's behavior came from a place of guilt, not romantic. He was torn from his thoughts by a knock on the door. Turning, he saw it was the friendly face of one of the hospital's doctors with his aunt standing behind him.

"Good morning, Green," he greeted. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better considering I'm about to be discharged," the teen smiled as the doctor chuckled. "Are you going to show me how to put this thing on?"

"Yes and once we do you're not allowed to take it off," Daisy smiled sweetly. "Ever."

"What?!"

"She's joking! She's joking!" urged the doctor, seemingly embarrassed. "You should only need it on for a few weeks, depending on your comfort level and your physical therapy schedule with Dr. Oak."

Green whined softly as his aunt continued to smile. Maybe he would need the brace on forever, after all.

"Ah, Professor Oak," the doctor said turning to Gary. "The nurses were looking for you. You have a visitor at the front lobby."

"Is that so? Well, I'll go meet them, thanks." Gary said, raising to his feet. He ruffled his son's hair as he headed for the door. "Let me know when I can sign him out, alright?"

"Of course," the doctor assured as Gary closed the door behind him.

Gary shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked through the now familiar hallways of the Celadon City hospital. Hopefully Green could be discharged quickly so they could get to Bill's villa before nightfall. As Gary reached the lobby, his stomach sank as he saw the familiar kimono of the city's gym leader. He was just in the middle of backing out slowly when the woman recognized him, smiling widely as he lifted his hands to his face in an 'x' signal.

"No!" he frowned, "I know what this is about and I am not dealing with this crap."

"Now, now,  _Professor_ ," Erika said, her voice as soft and light as cotton candy. "You're making a scene."

"Says the lady in the freaking kimono," Gary huffed, lowering his arms. "I'm serious, Erika, I am not in the mood for a lecture."

"Lecture?" the woman said, tilting her head to the side as if she had never heard the word before. "I'm not here to lecture you."

Gary continued to scowl and the woman laughed like a Chatot. She extended her hand to the man, allowing it to linger before grabbing his own and forcefully dragging him outside.

"Hey! Let go!"

"Fresh air is a wonderful thing," she said, looking over her shoulder with another cynical smile. "Wouldn't you say,  _Professor_?"

"Stop saying the word 'Professor' as if I'm not an accredited researcher!" Gary snapped, pulling his hand back as they entered the tiny flower garden in front of the hospital. The sun was warm as Cherubi and Cherrim hopped happily in and out of brussels around them. "If you're not here to lecture me then I don't know why you're here considering the last time we spoke you told Ash and I to screw off."

"As if I would be so brash," the woman said with a roll of her eyes. "I politely refused your offer to join your little club and had the trainers in my gym calmly escort you out."

"You paralyzed us both with your Victreebel before your trainers used their Tangela to toss us out to the street!"

"Like I said, calmly," Erika smiled, bending down to pet one of the wild Cherubi. "When Blaine and Yellow came by a few months ago the trainers gave him a nasty case of poison. I liked Yellow, though. Too bad she decided to stick with the Underground - she's a wonderful trainer."

"Is there a point to this conversation because I have a tight schedule to keep that doesn't involve talking to people who hate my guts," Gary said with a pause. "Well, at least not a lot of them."

"Of course," the gym leader said, lifting up back to her full height as she spun around to face Gary with a smile as bright as the sun. "I know you killed Butch."

Although he was expecting it, the actual sentence sent him back a bit. Swallowing hard he opened his mouth for the comeback he had long prepared - that he didn't regret it. That the asshole had it coming. How he felt no remorse for what he did to the man who took away Olivine's gym leader, his son's mother, his wife. All of these things were ready to roll from his tongue, but stopped somewhere between his brain and his mouth. It was a weird feeling, but luckily Erika was already talking before he could process it.

"This time I don't want to hear  _your_  lecture," she said, and he felt slightly relieved. "All I wanted to tell you is that I know and Officer Jenny doesn't and thanks to me it's going to stay that way."

"Thanks to you?" Gary echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Why? You can't stand me."

"That's true, but I need you to succeed in taking down Team Plasma and in effect disempowering Lance."

Like a lightbulb going off in his head, the pieces to this weird puzzle snapped into place.

"Because you think Lance is working with these guys too, right?"

"I don't think, I know," she said, her eyes hard. "The Indigo League has been a shell of its former self since this whole Conduit mess started and Lance is scared to death of having them here in Kanto. He fears that with the Conduits' powers unbalanced they won't be able to control themselves and will destroy the entire region. Plasma assured him that wouldn't happen and he's working with them in an effort to contain it."

"By having all the power within Plasma," Gary finished, fist clenching. "That's been his deal all along?! That's why he ignored Ash's reports when he was part of his Elite Four? Why he said Jasmine's death was an accident?!"

Erika nodded slowly and Gary felt the tension rise in his chest like a volcano. Pausing, he took a deep breath - like the one Jasmine would tell him to take - exhaling slowly through his nose as he found himself. It took a few breaths, but eventually he was back. He was still pissed off, but he was centered.

"Does Ash know?"

"I told Misty when I went to Sevvi Island so I'm sure she told Ash," she explained and by Gary's last call with his friend he could confirm the suspicion. "I want the Indigo League to be great again, Gary. I want our badges to mean something. You have two of the Conduits now, you need to defeat Plasma and stopped this madness."

"Does that mean you want to sign up now?" Gary half-joked. "Are you helping them train on the island?"

"No, I'm doing something much more important."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I'm keeping you out of jail," she smiled, tilting her head to the side. "But I won't do it twice."

"You won't have to," he assured, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Though I appreciate the effort - after being held in the Rocket's cell for so long I've had my share of captivity for a while."

Erika laughed softly before excusing herself to head back to her gym. She was just leaving the small greenery when she turned to lock eyes with Gary over her shoulder.

"Oh, and one more thing," she smiled, though this one far vicious than her previous. "I don't ever want the Rainbow Festival to be ruined again. Ever."

He could tell from her expression that she was deadly serious.

* * *

Blue stood in the sand next to Meowth, who was currently wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, relaxing on a beach chair as he took in the island's warm sun. Leaning over the Pokémon, Blue raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"'Cuse me, kid," Meowth said, his voice more annoyed than gruff. "Yous be castin' a shadow."

"I thought Misty was going to send you to Oak Laboratory with Bill's Poké Transporter?" the brunette asked as she took a few steps back, her sneaker-clad feet kicking sand around. "Wasn't Red's grandmother going to take you in?

"I hate Pallet Town and I love da beach," the Pokémon said adjusting himself in the chair. "Also I've been cooped up fer years - I gotta work on my tan."

"Can Pokémon even get a tan?"

"I dunnos, so let's say dis is research for Billy Boy, ha!" Meowth laughed, lowering his sunglasses slightly to get a good look at Blue. "How's da trainin' goin'?"

"Okay I guess," she shrugged, looking over the beach. "I still don't really understand my powers so most of the training is more endurance-based than anything else. I think my powers need to be triggered or something, it's weird."

Meowth nodded adjusting his glasses on his face as Red's voice echoed from the doorway of the villa.

"TELL GRANDMA I SAY HI, OKAY?" He called to his mother who was on the video call with Delia as he ran out onto the beach, his sneakers skidding into the sand as he nearly passed Blue. Luckily, the girl grabbed hold of the teen's baggy t-shirt before he completely passed her.

"Hey!" she frowned, pulling him to her. "Where are you running off to? Sabrina and Janine want us to do three laps around the island before they come downstairs."

"I know, but today Green comes back!" Red grinned, the bill of his new hat casting a shadow on his nose.

"No way!"

"Yeah! Gary called before they left and they should be landing soon!"

"That's amazing!" Blue grinned, jumping in the sand with excitement. Unable to contain his own happiness, Red took her hand and pulled her towards him motioning for a kiss. The brunette, however, knew better and bent out of the way. When the teenager pulled away looking slightly hurt, Blue motioned to Meowth with a slight nod of her head.

"Oh don't minds me," Meowth said, still lounging. "I'm just workin' on my tan - if you twos wanna suck face I don't care as long as it's not blocking dat sun, Meowth!"

"We were not gonna suck face," Red frowned, kicking the beach chair slightly. "Also, can Pokémon even get tans?"

"It's research, apparently," Blue offered, slightly amused.

"That's ridicu-" Red began before he saw the reflection of something in the sky from Meowth's sunglasses. Turning around and looking up, he saw the familiar form of Gary's Aerodactyl and Daisy's Altaria. "THEY'RE HERE!"

Red was off like a rocket, kicking sand behind him as he ran towards where they were landing. Blue was quickly behind him, smiling as Daisy's Altaria hit the ground, looking annoyed at the warmth of the sand beneath its feet.

"Hey kiddies," she smiled as she climbed off the flying-type, Yellow following her swiftly before the doctor recalled her Pokémon into its ball. "Good to see you!"

"Hello-" Yellow attempted to greet, before she was tackled into the sand by Blue. "ACK! BLUE! THIS IS INAPPROPRIATE!"

"Deal with it, Yellow!" Blue laughed, leaning back slightly so the smaller girl could gain her bearings.

Across from them, Red watched as Gary climbed off his Aerodactyl before helping a lackadaisical looking Green off.

"Hey, Red," the man greeted with a nod. "Green's a little woozy from the sedatives the doctor gave him before we left."

"Sedatives?" Red asked, turning at his friend who was currently looking around very slowly, his green eyes cloudily as his newly braced arm hid underneath his hoodie.

"Yeah the doctor was worried about the flying being too much so they drugged him up," Gary joked, turning to his son. "Hey Dizzy, Red's here."

"Red?" Green asked before looking in front of him and spotting his lifelong friend. "Reeeeeed!"

"Hi, Gree-OOMPH!" Red grunted as the teen propelled himself forward and clashed into his chest for an intense hug that involved Green rubbing his face against Red's shirt like a Skitty. "Woahhhh, someone's drugged!"

"Yeahhhhh," Green cooed as he looked up with Red with a smile. "But my shoulder doesn't hurt anymore!"

"I'm sure it doesn't!" Red laughed before he felt something weird at the back of his head. Still locked in Green's surprisingly strong embrace for a guy with a shoulder injury, he looked over to see Yellow glaring at him. "Yo, what's your beef, Yellow? Are you mad that didn't say hello to you first?"

"She's a bit protective," Green slurred, pulling away from Red so he could whisper incredibly loudly. "She was at my side the wholleeeeee time I was hurt! She's soooo nice, Red!"

Yellow's face turned a bright crimson and Red wasn't sure if he should laugh or hide his best friend from another round of injuries. Thankfully, Blue caught hold of the girl before she lunged forward at the boys.

"I'LL KILL YOU, KETCHUM!" she barked, hands outstretched like claws as she fought against Blue's hold and the sand under her feet in an effort to reach the boy.

"Me?! What the hell did I do?!" Red fought back. "Green said it!"

"Nooooo," the boy said shaking his head slowly. "I whispered it so she couldn't hear it! Duhhhhh!"

"You're obviously a really shitty whisperer then," Red snapped as Green continued to rub his face against his shirt. "What the hell did they give you at that hospital, Tauros tranquilizers?!"

"Relax," Gary said, not even trying to hide his amusement at the situation as he recalled his Pokémon. "It should wear off in a few hours."

"Oh look, Oak is back," Janine said lazily as she exited the villa. "Explains all the annoying yelling and commotion."

"Hello to you too, Janine," Gary greeted. "Looks like we're roomies again, huh?"

"Yes, but at least this time it's under far better circumstances," Janine smiled as Misty ran out of the villa quickly.

"Oh, thank god you're okay!" she sighed in relief, hugging both Oak siblings before turning to Green who hugged her extra tight. "How are you feeling, Green?"

"AMAZINGGGGG!" he said, far too loudly as Misty raised an eyebrow at the other teens.

"He's on pain killers," Blue explained. "A lot of pain killers."

Misty nodded slowly as her husband followed her outside the house. Instantly, Green unlatched himself from Misty to attach himself to Ash's midsection for another hug.

"Oh, hi Green," Ash greeted, slightly confused but mostly happy. "That's actually the nicest hello I've received in a while."

"Does it count if it's drug induced?" Red asked as Ash raised an eyebrow at his son.

The front door swung opened again as Sabrina and Whitney headed outside together. Whitney began a greeting that instantly died on her tongue when she spotted Daisy. Sabrina on the other hand, looked as if she was ready to murder just about everyone on the island.

"YOU!" the psychic snarled, extending her hand that pulsed with a violet aura before telepathically pulling Daisy forward, grabbing the woman by the collar of her white coat. "HOW DARE YOU STEP FOOT IN MY PRESENCE!"

"Hi to you too, Sabrina," Daisy deadpanned, obviously not nearly as concerned as everyone else around her. "So happy my brother told me you were going to be here."

Daisy sent Gary a look of completely annoyance as he did not tell his sister about Sabrina. At all. Not even a hint. The professor mouthed a small, "My bad!" as his sister turned back to the woman with a sigh.

"Listen, I'm here to help Green with his physical therapy," she said apathetically. "So whatever psychic mental torture you have planned for me, can it wait until after we've saved the world?"

Sabrina remained still until Whitney turned to her girlfriend, "C'mon Sabs, let her go."

With a final once over, the psychic released her hold on Daisy. The doctor nodded once, before sidestepping the two women and entering the villa. Turning around to the beach, Whitney noticed that everyone was staring intensely at them, even Green though he was drooling slightly from the corner of his mouth. Growing flustered she turned to Red and Blue with a frown.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be runnin' laps right now?" she barked and instantly the two teens were standing rod straight and heading to perimeter of the island for their run. Both women followed, acting as if nothing had happened, with Janine following behind them slightly awkwardly.

"You jerk!" Ash yelled as he punched Gary hard in the arm. "Why didn't you tell her?!"

"I got distracted!" Gary yelled back, rubbing his arm. "And I can say the same for you, considering Sabrina's the one with freaky psychic voodoo powers!"

"I agree with Leader Oak," Yellow said with a nod, turning to Ash. "Dr. Oak seemed more uncomfortable while Leader Sabrina was more angry. You should have cooled her anger first before anything else to avoid such an awkward situation."

Ash made a face before turning to Misty who rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," she assured. "I'll make sure nothing gets blown up while you guys are gone."

"Wait, what?" Gary asked, turning to Ash. "What do you mean 'you guys' - I just got here!"

"Yes, and now we're leaving," Ash explained.

"Bye, dad!" Green waved, leaning against Yellow for support as the blonde led him inside.

"No bye, I'm not going!" the man said stubbornly as Ash whistled for Charizard, who appeared quickly from one of the island's surrounding cliff sides.

"Don't worry, I know Aerodactyl is probably tired from the trip so we'll take Charizard."

" _I'm_  tired from the trip!" Gary protested as the other man pushed him onboard. "Where are we going anyway?"

"To see an old friend," Ash said as he climbed on Charizard's back, turning to his wife. "You sure you're okay with everything?"

"Super sure," Misty smiled, pecking her husband on the lips before waving goodbye to a still protesting Gary. Ash winked before whistling for Charizard to take flight, sending both men off into the sky.


	33. The Indigo Plateau

"And here you go," Yellow said as she opened the door to the room Red was previously occupying alone. "Bill said with so many people staying at the villa we need to start doubling up on bedrooms. I'm sharing with Blue."

"Oh, so it's like a slumber party?" Green slurred, raising an eyebrow at the baffled looking girl. He instantly erupted into a fit of laughter before collapsing onto his bed.

"You should get some rest," Yellow said, bringing the teen his bag as he mumbled something about pillow fights into his pillow. "It was a long trip and you are still injured."

She paused when she looked down and saw a familiar emerald eye peek at her from the pillow. Slowly, Green turned on his good side to look up at Yellow, giving her his full attention. Extending his arm, he took hold of her hand again, fingers lacing together like perfect puzzle pieces.

"Hey...there's something I wanted to tell you before…" he said, his eyes still hazy from the sedatives.

Yellow felt the heat rise up in her face, and she feared whatever this contact was it has given her some sort of allergic reaction. Blushing furiously, the girl took a step back, kicking Green's bag over in the process and emptying its contents onto the floor.

"Ah, my apologies," she said, her usual even tone unable to mask its shakiness. "I'll pick this up."

The bed creaked as Green leaned over the edge, his spiky chestnut hair unruly as it stood in all directions. Yellow went against her better judgment to steal a glance at the boy, only to regret it the second she does. Her heart instantly clenched in her chest and she wondered if this is how she was going to die, in an expensive villa in the middle of a deserted island.

Green didn't seem to notice what she assumed were her last moments as he leaned passed her, extending his good arm to take hold of something that had rolled underneath the nightstand. When he reeled back, he landed on his back with a heavy flop as he inspected the object with a raised eyebrow. Raising herself on her knees, she looked up to see that the mysterious sphere was a tiny, old Poké Ball. She watched as he pressed the button lazily, expanding the ball to its full size - she can tell by the way he holds it that the ball is full.

"Is that one of yours?" she asked, her voice smaller than she ever heard it before. He shook his head, still staring with cloudy eyes.

Yellow swallowed hard as her eyes darted down to find a tiny slip of paper with something written on it. Instantly, she recognized the chicken scratch handwriting as Gary's.

_He kept your mom safe for years and will do the same for you. Love ya. - Dad_

"Huh?" Green said, as Yellow handed him the paper, still not facing him. If he wasn't still so sluggish, he would've noticed the red tint of her ears. Reading the paper, his lips curled into a smile as he shoved the note into his pocket and the Poké Ball onto his belt. "Thank you...this was my mother's prized Pokémon."

"You mean…." Yellow gasped, her hair swaying in its ponytail as her head swiveled back to face the boy. "That is Leader Jasmine's Steelix?!"

"Yeah, that's Rusty," Green nodded slowly with a small smile. He leaned back against the pillow with a yawn. "I guess my dad snuck it in my backpack before he left. Since my mom wasn't really big on material possessions, Rusty was the only thing he had left of my mom after she died. Steelix typically live for a really long time, but Dad would never use Rusty in battles so he would usually just play with Red and me in the backyard. I'm shocked it even still has a Poké Ball."

Green laughed lightly, only to stop with a groan that signaled that the sedatives were beginning to wear off. Standing to her feet, Yellow cleared her throat as she masked her emotions with her usual apathetic expression.

"No more talking," she said, her voice stern as she swatted the boy's legs away as she covered him with the bed's comforter. "You need to rest up for your first full day of physical therapy with Dr. Oak tomorrow."

Green yawned again as he maneuvered himself under the blankets. Once he was settled, Yellow nodded and made her way to the door.

"Ah, Yellow?" she heard, her fingers barely brushing the plastic tip of the light switch.

"...yes?"

There was a heavy silence and for a moment Yellow sincerely wondered if Green had fallen asleep already.

"...thanks for taking care of me," came his voice.

"You don't have to thank me," she said quickly, turning off the lights quickly. "I am still responsible for your well-being, so that's all."

She didn't have time to hear Green's reply as she exited the room, shutting the door behind her quickly. She leaned against the wood as she inhaled deeply in an effort to slow her rapidly beating heartbeat. Touching her cheeks, she noted that she was still warm.

Maybe she was having an allergic reaction after all.

* * *

Ash had long since begun to ignore Gary's frowning, pouting, whining and downright annoying behavior. Even though the man hadn't stopped squirming on the Charizard's back since lift-off, he at least stopped sighing over-exaggeratedly once Ash has told him their plan.

"How do we even know Lance is at the Indigo Plateau?" Gary asked as he looked at the ground below them. They were just about crossing over Victory Road when the oversized building of the Pokémon League came to view.

"Sources," Ash said simply. "Hold on tight, we're making a landing."

Charizard's feet landed on the marble surprisingly gently and quickly the men were off its back and on their feet.

"Who do you have with you?" Ash asked quietly, motioning to the balls on Gary's belt.

"I got Aerodactyl, Nidoking and Arcanine," he answered, watching as Ash peered around the corner.

"Alright, I have Charizard, Snorlax and Misty's Starmie," Ash was interrupted by an angry growl on his shoulder. "And Pikachu, too. But that's a last resort."

The electric-mouse responded by sending small shocks into its trainers arm. Ignoring Pikachu, Ash motioned for Gary to follow him around the pillar and into the main hall of the Pokémon League. Their footsteps echoed loudly as they walked through the empty building, passing the double doors that led outside to the main arena. When that too was empty, Gary turned to his friend.

"I think your sources sucks," he said, crossing his arms as Ash walked ahead of him. "There's nobody here. Is it a holiday or something?"

Ash remained silent, walking into the center of the battle ground. The wind blew eerily around the quiet arena, whistling through the empty stadium seats and podiums. While the Pokémon League Championship was an annual match in Kanto, the Indigo Plateau was usually lively with the Elite Four sparring or individual trainers going up to prove their worth.

Still standing on the perimeter of the grounds, Gary's raised an eyebrow at his friend when the man's head shot up, turning to the other man frantically.

"MOVE!" he yelled and Gary was off, pulling Aerodactyl from his belt to carry him up and above the arena.

Within seconds, all four walls of the stadium exploded outwards, causing the arena to collapse like oversized dominos. Panicked, Gary looked around in the air through debris to find Ash, and was relieved to see his hat through the dust.

"Should've known it was a trap," he groaned as Charizard flew next to Aerodactyl in the air.

"I don't think it's that simple, Ashy-boy," Gary said, motioning to the ground with his head. "Look down there."

Below them, they saw a man and a herd of Geodude surround two cloaked men. Though it was difficult to see through the dust, Gary could tell that the man was injured and the cloaked men were toying with him.

"Damn it," Ash cursed, as Charizard circled in the air in an attempt to clear the dust. "That's my source."

"Isn't that Bruno?" Gary asked, looking around the arena. "Where's the others?"

Ash didn't answer and was already in a nose-dive towards the area. Circling the men, Charizard sent out burst of flames, but was instantly blocked by pieces of ground surrounding the cloaked men. Ash pulled back as two Donphan emerged from the ground, growling venomously as they shot dual fury-swipes at the fire-type. Charizard evaded the attacks easily, circling to Bruno's side and blocking any further attacks on the man.

"Ketchum," Bruno grumbled, lifting himself to see the dark-haired man as he dismounted from the fire-type's back. "I expected you to be here earlier."

"Sorry, air traffic," Ash joked, good naturedly as he turned to the two cloaked men in front of them. "Care to fill me in?"

"Ah, Ash Ketchum," one of the cloaked me said with a smile, "Allow us to do the honors."

The men both pulled down their cloaks with matching mustached-smiles that reached their eyes, crinkling their corners.

"I am Gorm," the man continued before pointing to the man next to him. "And this is Bronius - we are the two of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma."

"So, I guess you know where Lance is?" Ash asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Champion Lance has long left this area," Gorm said, still smiling. "Elite Four members Will, Lorelei and Karen were also wise enough to escape once the building was under Plasma control….however, poor Bruno here thought it'd be wise to play the hero."

"There are no heroes when it comes to Team Plasma," Bronius said, his smile fading into a steady grin. "Only our Lord and King."

"PIKA PI!" Pikachu called, pointing ahead. Above, Gary watched as the three Geodudes began to circle the two men, glowing white. Recognizing the attack he turned to the man below him.

"ASH!" he called diving down towards his friend, instantly gaining the man's attention. "THE GEODUDES!"

Ash thew Bruno on the back of Charizard unceremoniously as Gary whisked him up on Aerodactyl and away from the arena. Still on the ground, the Sages recalled their Donphan before holding hands and looking up at the sky with peaceful smiles.

"Hail Plasma."

As the Geodude self-destructed, Charizard and Aerodactyl were blown forward by the explosion. Luckily, they were able to recover and swooped upwards and away from the blast zone. When they were a safe distance above, Gary turned to his life long friend and captured him into a tight headlock.

"You piece of shit," he growled, as Ash struggled in his grip to break away. "What the fuck were you thinking getting your ass blown up like that? Do you know how badly Misty would kick my ass if you died on my watch?!"

"Ack! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ash choked as Pikachu also sent small sparks of electricity through his body as its own punishment. "I thought they were Bruno's Geodude!"

"They were." Bruno said simply, gaining the two men's attention as he watched the now leveled land of the Pokémon League arena below. "I had instructed them to self-destruct once the Sages revealed themselves. I had trusted Ketchum to escape - though whether or not it was with me wasn't really necessarily."

"Bruno…" Ash said, lifting his head from Gary's hold. "You were ready to die...for the Pokémon League?"

"Look around you, Ketchum," Bruno said, eyes heavy with despair as he looked down at the dust and rubble below them. "Nobody else was willing."

* * *

_"As you can see, the Indigo Plateau has been completely leveled. Though there are no records of trainers or the Elite Four being at the facility at the time of the explosion, there have been no traces of human remains left on the scene. However, with an explosion like this that doesn't mean evidence won't appear once the rubble and debris has been cleared. The Pokémon League Champion Lance has not provided any statement on the blast, or whether or not it should be considered an act of terror or another 'unfortunate accident' for the region. There is expected to be a press conference by Officer Jenny later this after-"_

Bill muted the television with a heavy sigh, turning to Misty and Red who were standing behind him in the den. Climbing from his hat, Pichu sat on the teenager's shoulder, looking worried. Absentmindedly, Red scratched the electric-mouse behind the ears as he looked at his mother who was currently chewing on her thumbnail. In the silence, the buzz of her PokéGear was deafening. Pulling it out from her shorts, Misty's eyes lit up when she saw that it was from Gary.

"Oh thank god," she sighed, placing her hand on her chest. "They're alright."

The tension left the room like a deflating balloon as Misty typed a quick response on her keyboard.

"The attack was from Plasma, apparently they're trying to take down any place that they think could be housing the Conduits. Gary and Ash just dropped Bruno off at a hospital outside of Viridian and now they're off to chase another lead on where Lance could be," she explained before turning to Red. "See, this is why I told your father to bring Gary with him - if it was just him out there we wouldn't have known what the hell happened unless they pulled his body from rubble!"

"This means they shall be gone for quite some time then?" Bill asked, turning to Misty who nodded.

"It seems so...wait, do you hear something?"

What seemed like a soft bang instantly turned into a loud crackle noise outside in the hallway. Exiting the den quickly, Misty, Bill and Red ran up the stairs to the main wing to see Sabrina about to lunge at Daisy. Behind the psychic was Whitney, who was trying (in vain) to hold her partner back. Between everyone was Blue, who looked as if she was desperately trying to cool down the situation.

"How dare you!" Sabrina snarled, moving closer as Whitney's socks skidded along the floor as she tried to pull her back. "After years of turning your back on the Underground - your grandfather, your brother, even myself - you have the nerve to show your face here as if you belong?! You have some nerve!"

"All I did was ask Blue if she was feeling okay," Daisy answered, her voice even and calm though Red could see the fire begin to rise behind her green eyes. "If you minded your own business and kept yourself out of people's minds, you wouldn't have even known that."

"Sabrina, I told you it's fine," Blue urged, smiling forcefully. "So just...go back to your room, okay?"

"Oh, don't tell Princess Sabrina how to do things, Blue," Daisy grinned wickedly. "She  _hates_  that."

"Sabsy,  _please_ ," Whitney begged as the psychic thrashed in her grip. "Just leave her alone, you're only making yourself look bad."

"Let go of me, Whitney," she hissed, breaking her arm away quick enough to send a pulse through the hallway. "This woman is a traitor!"

"Stop it!" Blue called, pulling up a forcefield with her hands as the wave hit her head on. Stumbling backwards, she gained her footing and turned to the others who were still in the hallway. Seemingly done with the whole situation, Misty lifted two fingers to her mouth and called a deafening whistle. Instantly, all eyes were on her.

"Listen up, ladies," Misty began, sending a stern look Sabrina's way before sending another to Daisy. "Nobody has to be here, understand? I get that we all have history with one another, but the facts stand that this isn't the Underground anymore - this is the future of the world in our hands. So either you get over your shitty break up that happened  _fifteen years ago_  or you pack up and get the hell off this island because I am not going to listen to this crap for two months."

"This isn't about a break up, Misty," Sabrina said, anger still lacing her voice even though Whitney had already let go of her hold. "How can you allow her to show her face after she left everyone to run to Goldenrod? She doesn't care about anyone but herself!

"Oh screw this," Daisy huffed, turning on her heel to leave the hallway, exiting the house. Exchanging a nervous look with Red, Blue turned to Misty.

"I'll go after her," she said and after the redhead nodded she was down the stairs in a flash.

Seemingly over the fight, Sabrina marched to the end of the hallway, slamming her bedroom door behind her. Whitney sighed loudly, turning to Misty, "I'm so sorry about that, Mist."

Red turned to his mother, wondering what she would say or if she would even accept the apology. He was surprised when she instead clapped her hands together with a smile.

"C'mon, let's have some tea," the woman said as Bill and Red exchanged puzzled looks. Red wasn't sure if his mother had lost it or not, but he was pretty sure what just transpired in the hallway couldn't be figured out over a cup of tea. Following the women down the stairs, Bill excused himself to go back to his study as Red took a seat next to Whitney, who looked embarrassed.

"I'm sort of the weird third wheel in this situation, y'know," she explained as Misty put the kettle on the stove. "Daisy and Sabrina's relationship was already hitting the skids when I joined the Underground, so I never really knew what they was like before they hated each other."

"There wasn't much of a difference," Misty sighed as she turned on the burner. "They were always fighting with each other over Sabrina's role in the Underground and Daisy giving up doing contests to go into medicine. I've never seen a couple bicker that much."

Red sent his mother a look and she sent it right back, "Your father and I are totally different!"

"Anyway, once Daisy moved to Goldenrod with her grandfather, I thought that was it," Whitney continued with a shrug. "But after the Underground got more serious and Jasmine was killed Daisy was more in the picture. Sabrina couldn't deal with it and left the group all together. I followed soon after."

"And have you been together ever since?" Red asked as the kettle whistled on the stovetop.

"Heh, not really...Sabrina can be difficult and she's really good at pushing people away," Whitney said, slightly embarrassed. "We were actually broken up when she was captured by Team Rocket. I had reached out to Blaine and the other's from the Underground when I got word. I didn't know what to expect until Daisy sought me out after she met up with you guy on Mt. Silver. She was the one who told me I should try to make things work again with Sabrina. Honestly, I was really nervous about the whole situation until she spoke to me about it. If it wasn't for her, I don't even know what I would've done, but I'm happy I got involved and spoke to Sabrina after she was released. I don't think I'll ever leave her side again, no matter what happens."

"That's an unsurprising thing about the Oak siblings," Misty sighed as she placed the kettle on the table with the most expensive looking tea cups Red had ever seen.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"They like to act aloof and that they're the smartest people in the room," Misty smiled as she took a seat next to him and poured water from the kettle. "But they really care about people and are trying to figure out the world just like the rest of us."

She was cut short by the front door of the house opening and closing rapidly. Through the villa's open concept layout, they were able to see Daisy walk through the door from their seats in the kitchen. Seeing the three of them, Daisy sighed loudly, motioning to hurry past them to climb the stairs to her room.

"Daisy," Misty said sweetly, stopping the other woman in her tracks as she looked over her shoulder to stare at the redhead. "I just wanted to let you know that I spoke to Delia earlier and she's on her way to stay with your grandfather at Goldenrod while you're here."

There was a pause before Daisy's face twisted itself to the smile that Red had learned to differentiate from her usual mask.

"Thanks, Misty," she said, her voice laced with actual relief. "I...I'm sorry about before."

"Water under the bridge," she said before motioning to the tea in front of them. "Would you like a cup?"

"No, I'm alright," Daisy said after taking such a quick look at Whitney Red wondered if he had imagined it. "I'm just going to go to bed."

"Uh, wait a second," Red interrupted as Daisy turned to face him. "Where's Blue? She followed you outside before and hasn't come back in yet."

"Blue? I didn't see her at all when I was outside...maybe she's taking a walk to cool off?"

* * *

Blue hurried outside the villa quickly, looking around frantically in hopes of spotting Daisy anywhere. She felt bad about the entire ordeal, but mostly because she couldn't defuse the situation at all.

How was she supposed to bring peace to an entire region if she couldn't even stop an argument between ex-lovers?

Pulling her cardigan closer to her chest, Blue walked closer to the sea in hopes of maybe finding the woman there watching the waves. When she didn't find her, she sighed and wandered along the shoreline to cool her own head. She stopped when she found herself over one of the island's cliffs, hidden from the rest of the beach by tall trees and beach wood. She heard a rustle, and turned around in hopes of finding Daisy. Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw another familiar figure.

"Oh my god," she gasped, pointing to the tall figure in the darkness. "What are  _you_  doing here?!"


	34. Blue's Proposition

Blue took a step back, a stray branch crunching underneath her sneaker. In front of her stood N, wearing the same blank look as always. She couldn't tell if he was surprised to see her or expecting her, though the Zorua on his shoulder blinked in her direction quizzically.

"Zor?" it mewed and N scratched the tiny fox-like Pokémon.

They stood in uncomfortable silence, the ocean roaring loudly as it crashed against the bottom of the cliff they stood on. Blue knew she should've ran, but some part of her deep inside herself felt a pull to the boy in front of her. Something about the way he stared at her, as if he was looking at her - no,  _through_  her - for something. Just as she began to wonder just how long the green-haired boy planned on standing there, he turned around to face the sea again. His backed turned to her, as if he didn't care if she stayed or fled.

This, of course, annoyed Blue.

"Hey!" she demanded, marching up to the taller teen to take him by the arm. "Are you going to answer me or what?"

She spun him to face her, and instantly felt the muscles underneath his shirt tense. It suddenly occurred to Blue that maybe roughly grabbing the guy who sent Green to a hospital a few weeks prior wasn't exactly the best idea. Though not one to be threatened, she tightened her grip and narrowed her eyes at the taller teen.

"Are you going to kidnap me?"

"No," N said, the single-syllable word leaving his mouth and falling between them on the ground heavily. Though facing her, his eyes were seemingly focused on something off in the distance. "If that was my intention then I would have taken you days ago."

"Then why are you here?"

N sighed, his body seemingly deflating in Blue's grip as he turned to look at her through his bangs, "Because I was supposed to..."

The silence returned, though Blue kept hold of N's shirt sleeve as if it could ground him into this weird moment. The summer night breeze blew and below them the ocean continued to crash against the rocks, summoning a long forgotten memory from deep from the back of her mind. Tensing instantly, she looked up at N.

"Twelve years ago," she said, willing her voice to keep it from shaking. "On an island in Johto outside of Olivine City, I met a boy with green-hair at the beach."

N remained silent, though his eyes kept locked on Blue's as she continued, talking faster as she went.

"He had a tiny Darumaka that got nervous and hit me with an Ember attack," she continued. "But it...it didn't hurt me? I just kind of absorbed it and felt like I had enough energy to do anything. He told me I was like him...that I was special...that I was a...a…"

"A Conduit," he finished and she felt her breath hitch in her throat.

"That was you?"

He nodded.

"I remember….it was around the same time my father came for me and brought me from the woods and told me what I was and why I was able to speak to Pokémon and harness their power. I was so relieved that I was not alone," he said, turning away from her looking pained. "I felt that same way when I learned you hadn't been killed in the lighthouse explosion. When I saw you in Pewter it was as if I had found this missing part of myself again. I didn't want anything to happen to you...even though..."

There was a silence, although she was able to assume the rest.

"N," Blue said, finally letting go of his arm. "Who asked you to kidnap me? Was it Team Plasma?"

He nodded again, his lips pursed tightly. Suddenly, Blue began to laugh jerking the boy's attention back to her.

"Why...why are you laughing?" he asked, shocked. "I'm your enemy! You shouldn't laugh at me!"

"No, you're not!" she said between giggles. "We're both Conduits and we're both confused as hell. It's actually really funny when you think about it."

N sent a baffled look to Zorua and was replied with a tiny mew and the Pokémon jumping to Blue's shoulder.

"Zorua doesn't usually take to trainers," he said softly as he watched her scratch the dark-type behind the ears. "She's actually never allowed anyone besides me to scratch her like that.'

"Sometimes you just need to trust people," she said smiling. "So...since you haven't thrown a potato sack over me and hauled me back to Plasma headquarters, I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" he repeated.

"Teach me more about being a Conduit," she said. "Since you've been creeping around here the least you can do is tell me about myself and my powers since you've been at this longer than anyone."

"And what will you do in return?"

"I'll listen to you about what you want to do as a Conduit," she shrugged. "I can tell from how you talk about your father and Team Plasma that you're not exactly on their team with this whole situation. Maybe if we talk about your goals we can figure something out together about this Syzygy thing that doesn't involve anymore violence?"

A breeze blew between them again and Blue wrapped herself tighter in her cardigan. She extended her hand out towards the taller teen, eyes shining in the moonlight.

"I'm tired of violence as well," he said and gasped with a shock when he felt Blue extend her hand further, taking hold of his wrist and pulling him down to sit on a beachy log with her. "ACK!"

"Great, so I guess you can start telling me stuff right now!" Blue beamed as Zorua jumped to her trainer's lap gracefully. "Start from the beginning, okay? I want to know everything! "

"Um...yes, well then," N said as he looked down to gently stroke Zorua's soft fur. "The first thing you may already known is that every Conduit needs a partner..."

* * *

Blue snuck back into the villa late that night, entering the front door as quietly as possible. Toeing her sneakers off at the entrance, she recognized a familiar form sleeping on the deep purple love-seat in the foyer of the main floor. Feet up on the expensive cushions, Red laid peacefully with Pichu snoring above him on the arm of the sofa. His red hat had slipped off his head and onto the ground, though the teen was wrapped in a throw blanket that was most likely provided later by Misty or one of the housekeepers.

Smiling to herself, Blue made her way to the sofa, crawling under the blankets and snuggling herself against the teen's chest. The added weight was enough to wake the boy from his slumber, dark eyes meeting blue groggily.

"Hey," she whispered, keeping her voice low as to not wake the electric mouse sleeping above them. "Were you waiting for me? I'm sorry."

"Pfft," he snorted, his voice hoarse from sleep as he wrapped his arms around the girl and positioned them more uncomfortably on the small sofa. His eyes were closed again almost instantaneously. "I wasn't waiting for you….that'd be lame."

"Oh? Then what were you doing on this sofa, hmmm?"

"Sleeping," he answered and she had to press her face against his shirt to keep from giggling too loudly.

"We should go to bed, though," Blue said, drawing small circles on Red's arm as she spoke. "Sabrina's probably going to take out her frustrations from earlier on us and issue a crazy day of training tomorrow. Also, Forrest and the others are supposed to start coming by this week to teach us how to use our powers with different Pokémon types."

"Uh huh," he mumbled, his eyes still closed and she knew he wasn't listening to a word she said. "We'll move in ten minutes."

Not feeling like negotiating, Blue nodded and snuggled into Red's chest. Breathing in his smell and basking in his warmth was calming, and she soon found herself drifting off into an easy slumber.

* * *

Blue's estimation was wrong - Sabrina's training wasn't crazy, it was straight up insanity.

The morning had started off normal enough with the typical lap running and conditioning with Janine that led to more physical work outs with Whitney and Sabrina. However, one look at Daisy doing morning stretches with Green sent the woman into such a rage that suddenly the teens found themselves dodging shadow balls and waves of psychic attacks from the gym leader's Alakazam. The teens thought they were in the clear when the Pokémon began to show signs of fatigue, however it was then that Whitney's Miltanks began to roll out towards the teens at rapid speed.

"C'mon you babies," Whitney had called as one of her Miltank hit Blue in the shoulder, sending the girl flying backwards. "Ain't no offense like defense!"

Later that week, Misty's sisters arrived via a private helicopter piloted by a man Misty had never seen before. When she had asked her sisters what the deal was, they simply laughed and told her that when you're as famous as they were, you make friends in high places.

After smothering their nephew with unnecessary affection and threatening to drown Ash for "ditching their precious baby sister" the Sensational Sisters explained that due to the amount of damage the gym suffered during the Rocket attack, they were out of a home until they could rebuild. Though the news didn't surprise Misty, Red had noticed a sadness behind his mother's eyes at the reminder of her precious gym being burnt to the ground.

"But, like, no worries," Lily had assured, smiling as she placed her hands on Misty's shoulders. "Oak Lab came and brought all the Pokémon to Pallet Town, so they'll have a place to stay until the insurance goes through and we can build a brand new gym. Also, like, since the Pokémon League got totaled the entire region's gym are on, like, hiatus so we're totally fine."

When Forrest and Brock had arrived, nobody had been more excited than Misty who desperately needed other company besides her overbearing older sisters. Seeing her old friend and former Underground member was a sight for sore eyes for the water trainer. Though he had seemed excited to train the Conduits in everything there was to know about ground-types, he was more excited to show everyone else Roxanne's ultrasound pictures.

"We're having twins!" he had exclaimed, pointing to what looked like to Yellow as tiny bean-like creatures on the black and white pictures. "A boy and a girl!"

After Forrest and Brock came Lt. Surge, who had literally dragged Red to the beach by the collar of his shirt mere seconds after landing to test the teen's endurance to electricity. Following behind curiously, Blue, Green and Yellow watched as the Vermilion gym leader's Richu sent bolt after bolt of thunder through the teen.

"I feel like I'm watching a super nova," Green said as Red sent bolts back and forth with the large electric mouse when Surge had walked away to grab something from the villa. "This is completely insane.'

However, it seemed to be one volt too many as a stray thunderbolt was discharged from Richu too quickly, and had sent the teenager flying backwards and hitting a tree. Racing to his side, the teens saw that the over-surge of electricity through his body had sent Red into cardiac arrest. Panicking, Blue had managed to absorb the excess electricity into her own body, shocking the teen and his heart back into a healthy beating pattern. As he awoke on the sand seconds later, Blue had gathered him as well as Green and Yellow into a tearful embrace.

"You all need to promise me that none of us will die during this," she sobbed, tears cascading down her face as other three teens looked on solemnly. "I can't lose anyone else...but especially not you guys."

They had promised, though none of them were sure if they had the power to enforce it.

* * *

Gary sat next to the campfire, eyes peering over his horn rimmed glasses as he crossed out various circled locations on a map of Kanto. Looking for Lance was more than finding a needle in a haystack, it was like finding in a needle in an entire region. Though Ash and his many "sources" brought to them seemingly every edge of the continent, it also brought them to nothing but battles with Plasma Grunts and dead ends.

The crunching of leaves was enough to notify Gary that Ash was coming back to the campsite with more firewood.

"Gary! You'd never guess what Pikachu and I saw by the river!"

"Unless it was Lance," Gary said, pushing his glasses up to his forehead as he rubbed his eyes. "Then I don't really care."

"Hmmph," Ash said as he threw a log into the fire. "It was actually a super cool herd of Poliwag, but whatever suit yourself and stay grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy, I'm tired because we've been literally all over Kanto and still haven't found this freaking guy!" Gary frowned, shaking the map in Ash's face as it would somehow mean something to the dark haired man. He was instead answered with a shrug and Gary suddenly felt a strong urge to walk back to Pallet Town and leave Ash there.

"Look, I just think you're looking at this the wrong way," the other man explained as he turned around to place a travel kettle on top of the fire. "Instead of getting frustrated, you need to enjoy the journey. I mean, c'mon when was the last time you were camping under the stars? Probably when you were traveling around Kanto all those years ago, right?"

"Um, no," Gary scoffed and instantly Ash's face fell. "Remember Ashy-boy, when I was a traveling around Kanto I had cheerleaders and a convertible while you guys had sleeping bags and held hands around the campfire to sing kumbaya."

"Of course, how could I forget?" Ash deadpanned as Pikachu mumbled annoyed on his shoulder.

"Anyway, enough about me," Gary said, swatting the air as if you had to literally shoo away the notion of talking about himself for more than five seconds. "What's up with you, man?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are we even here? What are we doing this for?" he asked, pulling his glasses off his face to tuck them into the breast pocket of his jacket. "I know that getting Lance out the picture makes things easier for Red and Blue, but why does it have to be us?"

"It doesn't have it be," Ash said with a shrug. "Just wanted to."

"But why?"

"Because I recently learned that instead of running away to find the Conduits, I should've been spending the last twelve years of my life with the people who were important to me," he said simply, taking the now steaming kettle off the fire to pour the water into two cups. "People like my wife, my son and-"

Gary blinked when he saw Ash hand him a cup of hot chocolate, smiling genuinely as he extended his hand, "My best friend."

Swallowing back a lump in his throat, Gary took the cup before looking away with a laugh under his breath, "God, you're still so lame, Ashy-boy."

"Heh, maybe." Ash laughed, scratching the back of his neck as he smiled. "In all seriousness though, I don't think anyone else is strong enough to face the Champion of the Indigo League head-on. Not to mention with all of the gym leaders training the kids, I don't think it'd be wise to pull them away from that for a wild Zangoose chase."

"Ha! So you admit that this is stupid!"

"No, it's not stupid at all," Ash said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate after blowing on it a few times. "It's just not easy, but you're good at not easy. You're Gary Oak, after all."

Not one to ignore a compliment, Gary felt his pride well in his chest as he rubbed his finger under his nose in faux-humbleness.

"Ah, I'm just a simple Professor is all," he said. "But I can see what you mean about me being the best. Even after all these years, I'm still one of the most difficult gym leaders to defeat in Kanto. Obtaining the Earth Badge ain't nothing to sneeze at."

Ash nodded knowingly as Pikachu made a noise that was eerily similar to a gag. Its trainer sent him a look, though the electric-type rolled its eyes and leaned over to steal some sips of hot chocolate.

"Anyway, like I said before," Ash said, taking the map from Gary and flipping over to reveal the unmarked illustration of the connecting region behind it. "You're looking at this the wrong way."

"Wait...you gotta be kidding me," Gary's face fell when he read the word on the top of the map. "You seriously want to go all the way to Johto?!"

"The Indigo League is for both regions," he said with a strug. "Not to mention he is from Blackthorn City. It could help us a lot if we can reach out to Clair for help. Anyway I have intel from sources-"

"I swear to god, Ash, if you say the word 'sources' one more time," Gary growled, pointing ambiguously to the side. "I will throw you into that river and do a lot of people a huge favor."

"-that said he was spotted around there," Ash finished, unimpressed by Gary's threat. "So tomorrow I think we should cross the border."

Gary grew quiet, the hot chocolate in his hand growing colder in the night air. Eventually he turned back to the other man, his eyes gentle.

"Alright," he said, finally. "But I want to make a pit stop on the way."


	35. The Jasmine Oak Lighthouse

Days turned into weeks quickly, and a month passed by in a blur. The island was filled with people, Pokémon and trainers. It was lively and Red found himself enjoying large group dinners and stories told around the table from days past.

It was difficult to picture his parents as young adults running around Kanto, and the stories of his father desperately trying to train his now loyal Charizard had to be his favorite. Green would often blanch at the stories told about his father's youth, always peppered with annoying cheerleaders and "Smell ya laters," but the stories about Jasmine made him smile.

While the nights were spent with stories, the days were spent training. It was bizarre how quickly he noticed himself changing under the added endurance. His body, once skinny and scrawny, was now coated with a layer of lean muscle. Training with his mother and aunts' water Pokémon in the ocean had built up back and arm muscles he never knew he could have.

Even Blue, who at one time didn't know how to use her powers at all, seemed to be getting the hang of it. Absorbing attacks from Red or by her Pokémon, she was able to build barriers that mimicked Jigglypuff's Reflect and Protect attacks. She was also able to withstand more attacks by regaining energy from them.

"Geez," Red exclaimed when Blue had evaded his attack with a super tall protect barrier. "When did you learn to do that?"

Leaning back with a hand on her hip and smiling brightly, she had simply replied, "Just been practicing!"

Though she wasn't the only one taking some extra practice time. Every morning Red would wake up to the sound of the alarm on Green's Pokégear and the two would run around laps around the island. Oftentimes they would race, but most times they would just talk as they jogged. They talked about the girls (Green's crush on Yellow was getting into the pathetically mushy territory), the Underground (if Brock showed them one more Ultrasound picture of his unborn children they were going to barf), and just life in general.

They were able to talk about possible plans of the future without using the words "if" and "survived" which was a relief for Red. He didn't blame the members of the Underground for being pessimistic, after a decade of tragedy it was understandable, but eventually stuff like that started to weigh him down. Sometimes it's optimism that needed company, not misery.

After one morning run the two boys climbed up the side of the girl's bedroom, waking them up to show them the tiny ravine they had found on the far end of the island. The four teens made their way to the oasis, still under the cover of the morning dust. His shoulder nearly healed, Green was more than eager to unhooked his brace, much to Yellow's disapproval. Since nobody had a bathing suit, the guys just stripped down to their shorts as the girls settled for shorts and their tank tops.

They splashed together in the water, laughing as they jumped from rocks and raced from either side. At one point, Red noticed Blue making a distinct effort to leave Green and Yellow alone.

"Stop meddling," he had scolded, carrying her on his back in the water so he could lean back and dunk her at will. After the second attempt, she had grabbed his now soaked hat to put on her own head, grinning.

"I'm not meddling," she said with faux-indignantly, arms tight around his shoulders. "I'm matchmaking!"

It seemed the same to him.

When it was time to head back to the villa, Blue had gathered the four of them together for a picture, her Pokégear held high above them so they could all fit in the frame. Once they were all squeezed, she snapped the picture and sent it to everyone.

When it hit his Pokégear, Red looked down to see the results of Blue's labor. It was the four of them, cramped together like sardines in a can. Green had his good arm around Yellow, grinning widely as the blonde smiled sweetly, with Green's cheek pressed against her face causing her to blush heavily. Next to Yellow was Red with a wide grin and wet hat that made his bangs stick to his forehead. Pressed up besides him was finally Blue, winking into the shot with one hand out of frame to hold the Pokégear and her other raising into a peace sign right below Red's chin. Together, they just looked like normal teenagers goofing off in the summer.

He made a mental note to get the photo framed after everything was over.

* * *

"Hey, let's drop down there," Gary said from the back of Aerodactyl as they flew over Olivine under the cover of darkness. He was trying to ignore the crippling sense of déjà vu he felt by being a bossy pain in the ass.

"The island with the lighthouse?" Ash asked, pointing down over Charizard's side and Gary nodded. "Okay."

They landed on the grassy terrain with an thump, the sounds of wild Kricketot and Kricketune sang in the air. The ocean breeze cooled the night air, and Ash opened his bomber jacket for Pikachu to squeeze inside against his chest. After re-zipping himself up, he turned to see Gary crossing his arms over his own jacket.

"Heading up?" Ash asked and Gary nodded. "Alright, I'll be here with these guys."

Gary went to open his mouth, but closed it quickly with a nod. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he began the long walk up to the newly constructed Jasmine Oak Lighthouse.

Once inside, it was notably warmer and Gary was able to remove his hands from his pockets as he wandered into the lobby of the lighthouse. Now a tourist destination, he saw a wall of pamphlets near the staircase. Grabbing one, he flipped through it quickly to see that it included a map of the lighthouse along with the history of the old Olivine Lighthouse and the story of Jasmine Oak, the gone-too-soon Gym Leader of Olivine City.

The picture of Jasmine they used wasn't something he hadn't seen before, he was pretty sure it was the one from when she renewed her Gym Leader license. Her hair was up in her famous half-pigtails with orange clips that matched the orange bow on her sky-blue dress. Her hands were cut from the photo, but if they weren't it would have showed the diamond engagement ring he had given her days before.

He returned the pamphlet to its bin and turned to wander up the seemingly endless stairs to the top. Along the walls, he saw an engraved illustration of the Johto folktale of the Great Tsunami of the Kanto Sea. When he reached the top of the stairs, the illustration showed four figures standing on the Indigo Plateau circled by various legendary Pokémon.

Turning the final corner, Gary was faced-to-face with the life-sized statue of Jasmine, with a smaller one of Amphy sitting next to her. On the foot of the statue was a simple epitaph.

_In loving memory of Jasmine Oak_

_May the spirit of those lost bring light to the sea_

Taking a deep breath, Gary straightened his back and smiled at the face of his wife in the stone.

"Hey Jas," he spoke to the statue with an awkward shrug. "I've never actually done something like this before, so I'm sorry in advance if it's terrible. You know how bad I am with stuff like this."

He paused, adjusting his feet where he stood. Outside, he saw a flock of Wingull fly by, soaring around the night sea.

"Remember when we were first dating and I told you I never went to my parent's gravesite after they were buried?" he laughed under his breath. "You not only found the place, but you dragged me over so you could tell them you would take care of me. Heh...it's funny, I always thought that was dumb because I was so sure that it would be me taking care of you. I was such a shitty kid back then...but you saw past that and pulled this person out of me that I forgot I could be."

Gary swallowed hard, taking another breath before continuing.

"Sorry, this is just a bit hard," he sighed, touching the cold stone of the statue. "You were always the one who was saving me, Jas. Even that night. At the time, I wish you didn't push me out because I couldn't think of my life without you in it. Things got dark, hon, I'm not gonna sugarcoat that, but now I know what was going through your mind when you pushed me out. You were thinking of Green."

The thought of his son brought a smile to his face, "He's so much like you, Jas, it's scary sometimes. He's caring, insightful and really kind. And I know as his father I'm the one who supposed to be showing him the ropes, but I'd be lying if I said he didn't teach me a thing or two. Oh man, and he's so freaking brilliant too. Honestly, Jas, we wouldn't be anywhere in this crazy situation if it wasn't for him - did you know he actually came up with the plan to free my ass out of prison? Our son figured out how to infiltrate Team Rocket's hideout!"

He stopped and thought for a moment.

"Well actually, I guess it's not that crazy. He is our kid after all," Gary shook his head, "I'm sorry I didn't bring him here, but I promise when this is all over I will. He's shoulder is a bit messed up now, but he'll be able to make the trip next time."

A breeze swept through the top of the lighthouse and Gary felt the cool air run through his hair.

"I know you're with us, Jas. There's been too many miracles these last few months to prove otherwise," he said, looking down. "So I know you know what I did."

The breeze stopped, leaving Gary with nothing but silence and a few scattered leaves from the trees below.

"I never thought that killing Butch would bring you back...I just thought that it would make it even, but it didn't. I'm sorry...I know you saw it and it hurt you. I made a mistake...a huge fucking mistake...and I was too arrogant to see otherwise," he confessed, feeling the long held tears break from behind his eyes, leaving salty trails as they cascaded down his face. "I'm so sorry, Jasmine. I'm so...so sorry. Please forgive me..."

The wind returned, wrapping itself around Gary as it chilled up his back. He swallowed hard, looking up at the statue in awe as the ocean air mixed with his tears. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually it died down and he could feel his shoulders lightened. Pressing his forehead against the stone, he whispered a small, "Thank you."

* * *

"Okay, you guys ready?" Daisy asked, turning over her shoulder to see Red, Yellow and Blue sitting at the kitchen table, hands above the wood

"Yeah!"

"Alright, drum roll please!" she ordered and the teens began to drum as she turned to her embarrassed looking nephew, unclipping his shoulder brace to remove it for the last time. "TA DAAAAAAA!"

"Oh wow!" Blue gasped, her hands framing her face in surprise. "He has skin! Have you ever seen such a thing?"

"No way!" Red said, shaking his head. "To think we'd ever see Green Oak without that thing on his shoulder is almost unbelievable!"

"Ha ha, you guys are  _so_  funny," Green said as he shook his head while rolling his shoulder. "Though I am happy I can be a functioning member of society again. Thanks for everything, Aunt Daisy."

"No problem, sweetie, just try not to get stabbed again," she said, pinching his cheek in jest. "Anyway, now that you're back to your usual self, I'll be heading back to Goldenrod in the morning."

"Aw, for real?" Blue pouted, giving the taller woman a hug. "But it won't be the same without you!"

"Yeah, but I gotta go check on Gramps and I'm pretty sure Sabrina has had more than enough of me," she smiled, running her hands through the girl's hair. "But don't worry, after you kids save the world we can get brunch in Johto. My treat."

"Oh good, finally some initiative to get this whole Conduit thing figured out," Red joked, following Blue and Daisy into the kitchen.

Turning to Yellow, Green felt his chest tighten a bit as the blonde continued to not meet his stare. Awkwardly, he rubbed his still bare shoulder.

"Yellow...I know you're still upset about me getting hurt for you," he said, looking at the girl steadily. "But I want you to know I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You being mad isn't going to change that."

Yellow's face flushed and she looked away, "Oak…"

"Oh?" Green said, head tilted to the side playfully. "You're not going to use my first name anymore?"

Her blushed deepened and she smacked his arm, frowning deeply as he laughed.

"Shut up!" she scolded and he raised his hands up in surrender. "And for the last time I do not need your help - my job is to keep you safe, remember?"

"Yes, I remember." Green said as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. "What do you say we watch over each other for now on?"

As Green popped his head through the shirt, he saw that Yellow was still pouting. He shrugged, "Can't hurt, hm?"

"I do not like being indebted to people," she huffed, turning away on her heels with a blush to follow the others into the kitchen. "Also stop being so peppy. It's annoying."

Later that night, Red yawned as he left his bedroom. He had woken up with a nasty case of cotton mouth and figured a glass of water from the kitchen would help. Feeling weird about walking around the villa in his boxers (there were way too many girls around) he pulled on a pair of jeans to wear with his old t-shirt. Red was just about to enter the kitchen when he tripped over something sticking out from underneath one of the tables, causing him to fall face-first onto the floor.

"Shit," he groaned, sitting up slightly to check his nose for blood. "What the hell did I hit?"

"Just me, Ketchum," came a familiar voice and Red looked between his fingers to see Yellow laying underneath the table, staring blankly at the underside of the wood. "Good evening, sorry that you tripped."

"Um...don't worry about it," he said awkwardly, pulling himself to sit on the floor. "I should've been more observant of people hiding under tables in the middle of the night."

"Mistakes happen," Yellow answered, not catching onto the sarcasm.

"Right...so um...what brings you down here?"

"Thinking," she answered, her eyes still fixated on the table. "I have these feelings I'm trying to figure out."

"Oh…"

Quickly, Yellow turned her head to the side to face Red. Her blonde hair falling from place as it cascaded around her like a halo, "Hey Ketchum?"

"Yeah?"

"You are in a romantic relationship with Blue, right?"

The accusation was enough to send Red reeling back, his ears instantly hot as he turned away from the girl. Across from him, Yellow blinked as she patiently waited for his response.

"Um...yeah, but we're not like...going around flaunting it or anything," he stammered, feeling his face heat with every warm. "It's all kinda new and...um...yeah…"

"Hm," she replied, turning back to the table. "Interesting."

An oddly comfortable silence fell between them and Red told the girl he'd be right back. She nodded, and it wasn't long before he returned with two glasses of water. She slowly sat up as he handed her a glass, both draining it contents quickly. Once empty, Red watched as Yellow fiddled with the rim, tapping along the edges with her fingernails.

"So," he said, breaking the silence. "Any particular reason you're sitting under the table?"

Yellow didn't answer, instead she focused her attention on her glass. Red sighed, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably.

"I'm really crap at talking about emotions," he sighed, placing his glass on the wooden floor. "But...but if this is based on what I think it is, maybe I can help?"

"What do you think this is about?" Yellow asked, her voice testy as she sent him a sideways glance.

"I think you're starting to fall in love with Green," he said simply, watching as her expression changed. "And I think it's freaking you the hell out."

Yellow froze, her eyes falling to the floor, "Is it that obvious?"

"As obvious as Blue and me were, I guess," he had hoped that the joke would lighten the situation, but it didn't. He sighed, "Look, I don't know what's going on with you two, or in your own head for that matter. But from what little I do know, all I'm going to say that if you want to say something to him you should do it sooner rather than later."

"Sooner?" she echoed, turning back to Red seemingly puzzled. "Why sooner?"

"Because of the syzygy," he said, pulling the cups from the floor to bring back to the kitchen. "We only have a few days left and then...well, who knows."

Yellow's eyes widened, understanding settling within her. After a few moments she climbed from under the table, standing outside the kitchen when Red exited.

"Ketchum," she said and Red cocked an eyebrow. "Um...thank you."

"Yeah sure," Red laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anytime!"

At that moment, the front door of the villa slammed opened, ripping the two teenagers from their conversation. Blue sprinted through the doorway, her hair disheveled as her sneakers skidded along the wooden floor.

"Blue?!" Red called and instantly the frantic girl sped around, nearly tackling the teen as she flew into his chest. "Holy shit, what happened and why were you outside?!"

"Plasma," she breathed clenching Red's t-shirt between her fingers, her eyes as wide as saucers and full of dread when she looked up at him. "They know where we are...and they're coming!"


	36. N's Gambit

"He's late," Blue groaned from her seat on a beach log. Jigglypuff sat at her feet while Lucario practiced meditation next to them, the sounds of the ocean crashing against the shore oddly calming. "Like usual."

"Apologies," she heard and after turning around was faced with N in the darkness. "Were you waiting long?"

"As long as usual," she shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "How do you just appear like that, by the way? Do they teach you that in Team Plasma? Do you guys get training in villainy?"

N blinked, a familiar look of confusion flashed across his features. It wouldn't be the first time one of Blue's jokes had gone over his head. She laughed, swatting the air as if removing the failed joke from existence, "Don't even worry about it."

"Oh...alright," he nodded, taking a seat next to Blue on the log. "So, how has your training been going?"

"Pretty good!" Blue grinned, flexing her arms like a strong man in a circus ad. "I can make a protection barrier that's almost as high as the skyscrapers in Saffron."

"I don't doubt it," he smiled kindly, scratching Jigglypuff behind the ears causing the fairy-type to coo happily. "What about absorbing a Pokémon's power? I know when we had tried it before, you seemed to get dizzy."

"Yeah, it's still not pleasant, but I can at least keep myself from passing out," Blue said as she wrinkled her nose at the memory. "Anyway, enough about me. Have you taken some thought to what I was saying last time?"

N grew quiet, which Blue had come to learn meant that whatever he was going to say next was probably going to upset her. She frowned, shaking the green-haired boy's arm. "Well?!"

"Ack, yes I did," he answered in hopes of getting the girl to stop. "It's just that...my father is still an issue."

"What's the issue?" Blue groaned, exasperated. "I mean, I get that you guys care about the well-being of Pokémon."

N sent her a face that plainly showed that he wasn't thrilled with her distilling his beliefs so simply. She ignored it and pushed forward.

"But that doesn't mean that Pokémon should be separated from their trainers!"

N's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, resting his head in his hands.

"I wish I could believe you, Blue, but I just have so much evidence of Pokémon being mistreated by trainers," he said as Woobat flew around him, chirping happily before landing on his shoulder. "When I was a child, all my friends were Pokémon from the forest. I remember trainers coming through to battle and capture them in those wretched Poké Balls. When father later found me, he took me around to different regions and showed me how poorly Pokémon are treated by trainers. Fighting, battling, being used as tools for humans…"

Blue shook her head turning to Lucario before looking back at the other teen.

"I understand," she said breaking N from his thoughts. Slowly the boy turned to see Lucario make his way over them. Happily, the Pokémon took a seat in front of the trainers, allowing Blue to scratch him behind the ears, purring contently. "When I first met Lucario, he was just a tiny Riolu. He and another Pokémon had escaped from traffickers and made their way to Kanto. When his friend got hurt, he ventured into town to see if he could help it himself. That's when we found them and helped them. After that, we became friends and he joined me on my journey."

Looking skeptical, N turned to Lucario as if trying to gauge if the story held water. After a few moments, he looked oddly torn.

"This Lucario cares about you a great deal," he admitted, looking away bashfully.

"And I care about him," she smiled, petting her Pokémon's blue fur lovingly. "I know there are bad people out there, but there's something to be said about the bonds that grow between people and Pokémon. I know how you feel, but I don't think that's something that should be taken lightly."

N didn't respond and instead kept his attention on the sea. He watched the water lap against the sand as if mesmerized by the waves. Blue was about to call it a night when his voice tore her from the silence.

"What do you think we should use our powers for?" he asked, looking directly at her. "If not to separate people and Pokémon?"

"Well," Blue smiled, recalling both her Pokémon into their balls. "I think we should be the bridge and bring them together."

"Bridge…" N repeated looking back to the ocean where suddenly a strong gust of wind blew from the sea. "GET DOWN!"

Blue squeaked as N lunged over the log, pinning her against the sand as the winds continued to blow, growing stronger. Above then, Woobat squealed happily when finally a Swoobat appeared on the sand, a note tied around its tail. N stood, pulling Blue to her feet as he made his way to the Pokémon and grabbed the letter.

Confused, Blue raised an eyebrow as N's features stiffened, his grip on the note tightening enough to crease the paper beneath his fingers.

"What's wrong?" she demanded, turning to the Swoobat that zipped up and away with another gust of wind. "Whose Pokémon was that?"

"Rood," N said, eyes still locked on the letter. "He's the only sage from Plasma that's not loyal to my father and agreed to help me."

"Is that why he knows where you are?" Blue frowned, staring at the sky where the Swoobat just fled. "And everyone else on this island."

"He tracked me through Woobat and Swoobat's ultrasonic waves," he explained, shoving the letter into his pocket roughly. "He sent this to warn me that my father's found out where you are and he's sending grunts here as we speak," N said, looking pained. "I'm so sorry...I thought we…"

"No time for that," Blue said, grabbing him by the arm. "We gotta warn the others!"

"Wait! Blue!" N called as Blue raced back to the villa. "I don't think-"

"No time for thinking!" she yelled as she neared the entrance. "Stay here, I'll get the others. We're gonna work together to find a solution for this!"

N blinked as Blue squeezed his hand, throwing a smile over her shoulder that he knew was meant to cover up her fear, "Are you willing to give this bloody war a peaceful conclusion?"

The teen felt his face flush as he nodded. With another smile, Blue ordered him to stay still as she ran into the villa, sneakers skidding along the floor.

"Blue?!" Red called and instantly the girl sped around, nearly tackling the teen as she flew into his chest. "Holy shit, what happened? Why were you outside?!"

"Plasma," she breathed clenching Red's t-shirt between her fingers, her eyes as wide as saucers and full of dread when she looked up at him. "They know where we are...and they're coming!"

"Now?!"

"Now!"

Red swore under his breath, turning to Yellow he ordered the blonde to get his mother. Grabbing his sneakers and hat, he turned to Blue.

"C'mon," he said, taking her by the hand and pulling her back outside without listening to her protests. Under his hat, Pichu poked its head out with sleep heavy eyes. "We can defend the villa from the waterfront and...wait a second."

He stopped in his tracks, the door shutting closed behind them as Red turned back to Blue, his face twisted into a skeptical look. From the corner of her eye, Blue was relieved when she saw that N had left.

"How did you find out about Plasma?" he asked slowly, his eyes narrowing. "And...and why were you outside?"

Blue stiffened, pulling away from Red's grip as she took a few steps backwards.

"Um...well..I…" she stammered, completely unable to come up with a reason. In front of her, Red eyes narrowed and Blue felt her blood run cold.

"I can explain that, Ketchum," came a voice that Blue instantly recognized. Turning to face source, Red's eyes widened when he saw the figure of N walking from the darkness of the surrounding forestry. "I was the one who told Blue as I wanted to give you fair warning of Team Plasma's attack."

"You mean your attack, asshole!" Red shouted, and with a snap of his fingers a spark of electricity from Pichu appeared.

"RED, NO!" Blue called, but the dark-haired teen already unleashed a thunder wave attack on the other boy.

Falling to his knees, N was trapped in a circuit of electricity, completely paralyzed. Rolling his shoulders, Red made his way over and took the teen's face in his hand, bringing him up to face him.

"Yeah, I noticed your weakness for electricity," he hissed, his eyes darting down to N's belt. He grabbed the Poké Ball he recognized a Yellow's Dodrio forcefully. "You have more shit coming your way for what you did to my friends in Celadon."

"Red, stop it!" Blue called, running to his side to take hold of his arm and preyed it away from N. "He's not our enemy! He's-"

"Are you fucking nuts?" Red yelled, pulling away roughly. "His people are trying to kill us, Blue! He is the definition of our enemy!"

"Red, don't!" she begged, pointing to the teen who was still rendered motionless. She swallow hard, speaking slowly and clearly. "He can help us. If the three of us join forces our powers can bring peace during the syzygy."

The way he stared at her made her heart feel like it was pumping razor blades through her body, not blood.

"Nobody else will have to die if we just work together," she finished, eyes glued on him.

A wind blew between them, and Blue heard her heart beat in her ears. Inside herself, she felt the prickles of a hundred tiny blades ripping her from the inside.

"Oh my god," Red said, eyes wide as he looked at Blue as if she had grown a second head. "You really have lost it…"

"You're not getting it-"

"No! You're the one who isn't getting it, Blue!" he yelled, pointing at N furiously. "Conduits work in pairs and the two of us have the same powers and you're the only receptor left!"

"That's why we need to work together!"

"No, that's the thing you don't seem to grasp," he laughed humorlessly. "We can't. The only way our powers work is if we have a partner - one of us would have to be wiped out. There can't be three of us, it throws off the balance."

Blue stood in quiet shock, eyes traveling down to meet N's who was silent, "N...did you know that?"

He didn't respond and Red let out another calloused laugh.

"Of course he did...but he wasn't going to tell you that," he made his way to the green-haired boy to kick him in the ribs, sending him rolling on his back with a groan. "Did he also forget to mention that Plasma aims to use the Conduits' power to control all the Legendary Pokémon in the world to rule mankind?"

"He said that Plasma wanted Pokémon to be free…" Blue said, tears in her eyes. "Because his father only told him of hurtful trainers and…"

"Oh god, open your eyes, Blue!" Red pulled N up by the shirt, forcing the green-haired teen to look at the girl. "It's all a fucking lie because he wanted to control you, too!"

"But his father-"

"His father is just an old man!" he yelled, eye's fierce. "N is the King of Team Plasma!"

Blue was frozen and Red shook his head, throwing the teen to the ground. Standing up to his full height, he turned towards the villa.

"By having their leader we have something to keep the grunts at bay until we can escape," he said, making his way back towards the door. "We'll use him as a distraction so we can get out of here."

"Oh?" came a voice. "Is that so, Ketchum?"

Turning quickly, Red looked down to see N's face twisted in a sinister grin. His eyes had darkened to a blood red as his shoulders rolled beneath the electric bindings. Within seconds, his form had shrunk, turning into a Zorua. From behind the trees, an air slash cut through the branches and barely missed Red as he rolled out of the way. Walking calmly from the darkness, N looked nonplussed.

"You're a better detective than I gave you credit for," he said simply, his expression darkening. "But there's more to this narrative than even  _you_  realize."

"I know enough, asshole!" Red shouted as Pichu charged him with fresh electricity. Thunder bolts sparkled from his fingers, which N avoided gracefully. Without a word, N snapped his fingers and Woobat appeared, sending another air cutter across that pinned Blue high to the trunk of one of the island's many tropical trees.

"N!" she yelled as she tried to free herself from the bindings.

"I apologize for not telling you the entire truth, Blue," he said simply as he countered another electric attack with Woobat's psybeam. "But the world is bigger than you think and it needs order."

"Not like this!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face. "Both of you, please! We can make this world better! It's not impossible, I know we can do it!"

"I believe you, and we will," N said, his eyes meeting Blue's sharply. "Together we will create a world free of pain and suffering for Pokémon. We will be the bridge that brings the world into a new era!"

"Over my dead body!" Red snarled, pulling Vileplume's ball from his belt.

"Hm, I thought that was implied."

"Go to hell!" he barked, turning to the grass-type. "Vileplume, protect Blue no matter what!"

"Vileplume!" the Pokémon nodded, sending it's vines up to wrap around Blue more securely.

"NO! LET ME DOWN!" Blue screamed and she kicked and struggled against the vines. Below her, Red absorbed the grass-type's power as N watched amused. "RED!"

Green and Yellow were the first to burst out of the villa, their eyes wide when they saw the scene before them.

"Yellow," Red said, his back to them as he tossed Dodrio's ball over his shoulder. "Catch."

The blonde caught the ball effortlessly, her eyes widening in shock when she recognized it as Dodrio.

"Ketchum…" she gasped but the boy had already lunged at N violently, the two men flying forward into the forest area around the complex. Next to them, Vileplume eyed Zorua as it sent a sludge bomb its way, causing the dark-type to faint against the dry grass.

Yellow turned to Green to see his eyes fixated on the ocean. Turning to see what he was staring at, her heart dropped when she saw what appeared to be an army of Plasma Grunts surfing towards the shore.

"Leader Misty!" she called as the redhead bursted out of the house. "They're coming!"

"Let them," Misty said, taking wide steps towards the shore. "We have nearly the entire Indigo League on this island. We can handle the grunts, but you need to get her off of that tree and all four of you to Johto, understand?"

The two teens nodded as the rest of the villa's inhabitant poured out, running towards the open sea with Poké Balls in hand. The Plasma sages Zinzolin, Giallo and Ryoku were the first to hit the shore. Their robes blew in the night breeze, their boots pressing hard into the sand.

"Gym Leader Misty," Zinzolin said, his voice gravelly. "A pleasure finally to meet, I am the Sage Zinzolin. We've heard so much about you."

"All good things, I'm sure," she smiled sweetly as her sisters stood behind her, Poké Balls clenched tightly. "What brings you and your army to our little island?"

"We are looking for two things," the sage said, holding his index and middle fingers in the air. "The location of your husband and the location of the Conduits, if you'd be so kind."

"Ah, you know I can't tell you either of those things, Zinzolin."

"Hm, seems that way," the sage said with an over-theatrical sigh. "Oh well, seems that we're just going to have to kill you all and take the children by force. As you can see, we have no shortage of men."

"Yeah, I saw that, but you know that's where you made your first mistake," Misty smirked, hand on her hip as she snapped her fingers. "You were prepared for men, not the Sensational Sisters."

The three sages looked baffled as a loud splash broke from the ocean. Turning around, they saw four Gyarados rise up from the depths. With a deafening roar, the four began to call various other water-types from the water, including Wailmers, Wailords and Tentacruels. Pulling random balls from their belts, the sages watched in horror as most of the grunts in the water were overtaken by the herd of wild Pokémon. As some scrambled to shore, others were caught in a major whirlpool attack summoned by the trainer's own Gyarados.

"Now!" Misty ordered as her sister Daisy summoned her Swanna and brought the two of them to the air. On the ground, Lily and Violet rushed the shore to battle the grunts who made it shoreside. As the sages charged towards where Blue was held, they were intercepted by Sabrina, Whitney, Blaine and Surge.

"Damn it," grunted Green as he pulled Venusaur's ball from his belt as he guarded Blue's tree next to Yellow. "We can't move until we can find Red and get some of these guys out of the way."

Yellow nodded, looking up to see Blue still struggling against Vileplume's vines, "Blue, please. Just let us protect you!"

"I don't need protection!" she hissed, kicking the air as she tried to free herself from her hold. "I need to keep Red and N from killing each other!"

Above them, a loud cry rang through the air as Daisy Oak rode from overhead on her Altaria. The flying-type send a vicious dragon breath attack on a line of the grunts below, wiping out their Pokémon nearly instantaneously. Running ahead, Green and Yellow watched the various battles break out around the island's shore.

Pulling out Golem's ball, Yellow ordered the rock-type to protect the perimeter of Blue's tree with Vileplume. Nodding, the Pokémon rolled off forcefully, leaving a sandy trail in its wake. In her other hand, she held Dodrio's ball close to her chest.

"Hey," she heard Green say over the bombastic ruckus of fighting and looked over to see him smiling at her, pointing to the ball. "Don't you want to see if he remembers you?"

Yellow was silent, looking away as she tightened her hold, "I'm nervous that...he won't."

Taking her free hand in his, Green pulled her attention back to him, "He will. I trust him."

Swallowing hard, Yellow nodded as she called Dodrio from its ball. After the red light faded, the flying-type looked around the island, turning around on its legs before one of its heads saw Yellow.

"DODRIO!" it called, gaining the attention of its two other heads before running to Yellow happily. The blonde lost hold of Green's hand when the Pokémon nuzzled itself against its trainer, chirping an apology for its behavior earlier. Teary eyed, Yellow embraced her lifelong friend.

"It's okay, Dodrio," she said, her voice soft. "You're back...we're together."

On the other end of the island, the thunderous clashes of Red and N's fight echoed through the air. Pichu's electricity sizzled through Red as his punches landed against N's ribcage. The sparks were enough to weaken the green-haired teen, but his control of Darmanitan's powers was unmatched. Jumping from treetop to treetop, he kicked ember attacks towards Red, many of which burnt the ends of his hair and tips of his shirt.

N watched fascinated as Red tapped a Poké Ball on his belt, suddenly gaining Blastoise's water-type powers and sending a strong hydro pump attack through his wrists, followed by Pichu's thunder shock. He was knocked from the tree by the water, but managed to dodge roll away from the thunder. Humorlessly, he burst into a fit of laughter as Red stood above on a tree.

"Ah, I see you've learned my little trick," he grinned widely. "Eh, Ketchum?"

"That's not all I learned," Red replied, clapping his hands together and unleashing a water gun surrounded by electricity. The blast was too much for N to avoid, throwing him backwards as Red followed.

Back on land, Janine and Forrest battled against half-a-dozen Plasma Grunts' Mightyenas.

"You know," Janine said as her Venomoth flew above with poison powder. "This would be much easier if we had your brother's Onix to mow them down."

"Yeah, stupid ass had to go and prepare for the birth of his children," Forrest snorted as his three Geodude plowed through another Grunt's Muk. "Sorry I'm not a good enough rock-type trainer for ya, Janine."

"Ha! I'll survive," the poison-type trainer scoffed. "Watch and learn how a veteran gym leader battles."

Janine's Ariados flew from her ball, quickly hog tying a herd of Watchogs and their trainers with its string shot. Impressed, Forrest nodded to the woman as he golf clapped her efforts. One of his Geodude had taken out another Mightyena as Whitney's Miltank rolled pass, knocking another group of Grunts before smashing into Giallo's Liepard.

"Give it up, old timer!" the pink haired woman called. "If you quit now, you can leave with at least some dignity!"

The sage remained silent as Whitney's Miltank sent another roll-out attack. Next to her, Sabrina and her Alakazams faced off against Zinzolin and his own Liepard. Running to her side, Whitney attempted to take both sages out with Miltank, but was too distracted to see that Zinzolin had ordered Ryoku to attack with his own Liepard from behind.

"GIRLS, MOVE IT!" Blaine called, bringing both women's attention to the third dark-type. Instantly, there was a flash of light and for a second Whitney had thought that it was one of Sabrina's Alakazams, though she knew it had been too quick of a defense for even them. Opening her eyes, she was faced with Daisy Oak on the back of her Altaria - the dragon-type had intercepted the attack and pushed back Ryoku's Liepard.

"Ladies~" she greeted flirtatiously as Altaria KO'd all three Liepards with a dragon pulse attack, leaving the sages to be easily taken down by Blaine and Surge.

"Nice one, Daisy!" Whitney cheered when the doctor jumped off the back of her Pokémon. "You saved our bacon - literally! Thanks a ton!"

"I'm not my brother when it comes to battling, but Altaria still has a bunch of awesome moves from our contest days," she smiled as the dragon-type hummed. Turning to Sabrina, she looked slightly uncomfortable. "Um...so you girls good?"

"Yes," Sabrina answered, looking away quickly. "We aren't children who need to be babysat. There are still dozens of other grunts we need to take care of, you know."

There was a heavy pause before Daisy nodded with a small smile, turning to climb back onto Altaria.

"Er...Daisy wait!"

The brunette stopped mid-motion, turning around to see that Sabrina had called out to her.

"Yeah?"

"Um…" the psychic blushed, turning away. "Thank you...for your efforts."

Daisy froze as her eyes widened, seemingly forgetting the ongoing battle raging on around them. Whitney noticed it only lasted a second, in a blink of an eye it was gone and the doctor was smiling again with a gentle laugh, "No worries! I'm a doctor - I gotta keep you guys alive, right?"

With another smile, the woman was on her Altaria to help Misty and her sisters with some more grunts. Left alone on the sand, Whitney smiled as she interlocked her fingers with her girlfriend.

"Look at you, Sabsy!" she smiled, squeezing slightly. "Is someone letting go of that nasty chip on her shoulder?"

"Ha! Hardly." Sabrina scoffed as she dragged her girlfriend towards the other Kanto gym leaders. "C'mon, before Blaine and Surge get themselves killed."

"Aye aye," Whitney cheered, letting Sabrina lead the way.

Still stuck on the tree, Blue screamed in frustration as she tried to break free from Vileplume's hold. The Pokémon's vines weren't enough to absorb any power, and between Yellow's Golem and Red's Vileplume there was no chance of anyone coming anywhere near the tree to free her. Plasma, or otherwise.

She was just about to dislocate her own shoulder, when she saw Yellow hurry to the bottom of the tree on the back of Dodrio.

"Yellow!" Blue screamed desperately, instantly gaining the attention of the blonde. "Please! You gotta let me down!"

Booms and crashes from the battles around them roared. In the corner of her eye, Blue watched as N jumped in the air and grabbed Red by the collar, punching him with a fire-induced fist. Swallowing nervously, she gave her full attention to Yellow, tears welling in her eyes.

"Blue…" Yellow said, looking honestly torn. "If I free you…then Plasma can…"

"I know, but listen," Blue interrupted, leaning as far down as she could to be closer to the girl. "Red is going to get himself killed out there and we can't afford that so close to the syzygy."

Another crash whizzed by, but Blue kept her eyes lock on Yellow.

"Please," she begged, tears cascading down her face. "Trust me."

Yellow looked away with her hands fisted and for a moment Blue honestly thought the girl was going to run away. The relief she felt  when she saw Dodrio's fury swipes cut the vines was enough to send her reeling. When her sneakers landed on the ground, Blue embraced Yellow tightly with a tearful, "Thank you."

"I am still going to bring you to Johto," Yellow said, her face pressed against Blue's shoulder. "Both of you. Whether you like it or not."

"I know," Blue smiled as she pulled back, "I'm counting on it."

Blue saw Yellow nod as she ran off, feet pounding against sand. As she sprinted, she saw various Plasma grunts turn towards her, though Yellow and Green weren't far behind her and made quick work of them as she made her way to the cliffs.

By the time she got there, she saw N holding Red by the collar of his shirt, dangling him above the rocks below. Behind them, on a grassy patch near the trees, Pichu was fainted against a rock.

"N STOP!" she screamed, jolting the green-haired boy to look turn to her, Red still in hand. "LET HIM GO!"

"Blue…" Red groaned, his body spent from the overexertion of fighting.

"Please," Blue begged, slowly making her way towards the teen with hands in front of her to show she was unarmed. "I know there's a lot going on, but you can't kill Red, okay? We need all three of us to maintain control during the syzygy, N, you know that."

"Granted, more Conduits means more power," N said, looking over Red as if deciding on whether or not to buy a fresh cut of meat. "But right now we're unbalanced, you see. You need  _one_  partner, not  _two_."

"Please, N," Blue begged again, her face tearstained as her hands began to glow white. "Don't make me do this..."

"Do what?" he questioned before registering the scene in front of him. "Are you...are you really going to try to take me out? For  _him_?"

Blue nodded, and N's face twisted into genuine hurt, "But everything you've said...about building a new world with me...about being a bridge... _was that all a lie?!_ "

"I believe in all of that, N," she explained, her voice breaking between words as the sea breeze blew her hair out of her face. "I believe that Conduits are the bridges between Pokémon's and humans. We can bring balance, but not this way...we can't bring peace through a battle like this."

"But with this...this  _idiot_ , you think you can?" N barked, shaking Red like a rag doll before throwing him to the side next to Pichu. Blue watched as he fell, breaking out into heavy coughs as he landed. She fought every instinct in her body to run after him, but instead stood her ground. "He can't even defeat me!"

"Have you ever considered it's because we're not supposed to be able to defeat each other?" she asked, sending a hopeful look N's way. Taken aback, N stood still, his eyes widening as his mouth hung opened slightly.

Suddenly, there was a crack and three masked men rushed on the scene, pinning N to a tree. Blue scrambled to Red and Pichu, holding them both to her as another crack split through the air. Next to the men was an older green-haired man who she recognized as N's father Ghetsis. In his arms, he held a bearded man by the collar who was dressed in the same robes as the other sages.

"Well, Rood," the green-haired man said as he pulled the man up to N's face. "Seems you were right."

"My...lord..." Rood groaned, looking at N who seemed horrified. "Please..forgive me..."

"Oh, for what?" Ghetsis asked before stabbing him through the abdomen with his scepter. "For helping your precious Lord N keep his promise to me? Don't be silly."

"NO!" N called, pushing in vain against the mask men as Ghetsis dropped Rood's body, his blood staining the sand between them. "FATHER YOU-"

N was stopped by Ghetsis slapping him across the face. The loudness of the impact stung in itself.

"You've been naughty, my boy," the older man said, his voice dark as he spun around to face Blue, his boots pressing hard into the sand. "Lying to me for all these months."

A sudden sharp pain ignited behind Blue's head, causing her vision to blurry. Fighting to keep consciousness, she heard the familiar voice of Green before being picked up by Yellow. As the corners of her vision darkened, she watched as Green took hold of Red and Pichu as if in slow motion. Hurling into the air, Blue rested her head against Yellow's shoulder as the trainer dodged attacks from the back of her Noctowl. The last thing she remembered before the blackness is the loud order of Ghetsis against the boom of various Pokémon attacks.

_"I only need the girl alive!"_


	37. The Magnet Train

The night was quiet asides from the reliable sound of Nincada humming under the stars. Outside of Saffron City, the four teens had made camp along Route 7 with the last minute supplies Yellow had on hand from the villa.

Green sat next to Red on the grass, wrapping bandages around the boy's arm and bare torso. Sitting across on a log with Jigglypuff on her knees, Blue poked at the roaring fire between them with a stick. Away from the group, Yellow spoke in a low voice into her hacked Pokégear to Blaine, getting as much information as possible on the status of the Underground.

Green tightened the wrapping around Red's arm, earning himself a low hiss from his best friend.

"That was so nice of you to get yourself nearly killed a few days before the syzygy," Green smiled venomously as he tightened the bandage again a little too securely. "You're no good to the human race if you're dead, Red."

Red frowned, turning back to the crackling fire. On his shoulder, Pichu snored lightly. The electric-type was still exhausted from Red's battle with N, having used up nearly all its stamina. Not even the loud cracking of the fire or Jigglypuff's constantly squeaking to cheer up its trainer would awaken the sleeping Pokémon. From the corner of his eye, he saw Yellow return to the campfire, Pokégear snapped close.

"Well?" Green asked as he tied the last of Red's bandages and turned to the blonde. "What's the situation?"

"There were a lot of injuries, but luckily no casualties on our side," Yellow explained, taking a seat next to Blue on the log before turning to Red. "Your mother has Vileplume. She's sent it to stay with Leader Erika for the time being."

"Thank god," he said under his breath, earning himself a soft shoulder squeeze from Green. "So she's okay? My aunts, too?"

"Yes, they're all fine," she continued. "Leader Blaine said they've scattered from the island, most heading back to their own towns, but Leader Blaine, Janine, Daisy and Misty are heading towards Johto."

"And they didn't specify where?" Green asked earning himself a headshake.

"Probably because they want us to focus on getting to Ecruteak City in time for the syzygy," Red said, cracking his neck before leaning back on his hands. "What about Plasma?"

Yellow's eyes fell to the fire, swallowing hard.

"After we left, Ghetsis took N and ordered the rest of the grunts to retreat. Leader Blaine said that Ghetsis didn't want to waste anymore men on fruitless battles," she said, voice even. "However...Ghetsis executed the Sages that were captured by the Underground in front of everyone before they left. He said it was to make an example of them to the grunts as they followed us."

"Holy shit," Green exclaimed, running his hands through his hair. "This guy is not screwing around."

"No he's not," Red said, turning to Blue for the first time the entire conversation. "Do you see what I mean now, huh? These guys are fucking monsters."

Blue remained quiet, her hair covering her eyes as the light from the fire pit flashed across her cheeks. Jigglypuff squirmed into her lap, instantly frowning at Red for being so rude to its trainer, though the teen couldn't care less.

"Ketchum…" Yellow warned, turning to the boy but was ignored.

"And N is just like them, Blue." Red fought, ignoring the way the girl flinched at the name. "Do you still think we can magically work together? That we'll all just hold hands on top of the Bell Tower and bring peace to the world? Maybe sing a little song?"

When she continued to ignore him, Red lost it. Placing Pichu in Green's lap, the teen rushed to the girl's side, pulling her up by the arm so forcefully that Jigglypuff fell into Yellow's hold with a squeak. Shocked, she turned her him, her blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"What do you want me to do?!" she shouted back, tears threatening to cascade down her face. "You want me to apologize, Red? You want me to pretend I feel bad for reaching out to the only other person who understands what we're going through?!"

"He doesn't understand!" Red hissed, his grip tightening on Blue's arm. "He wants power and we want peace!"

"You don't know that!"

"Blue," Green broke in, his calming voice grounding both teens in their fight. "Even if it is mostly Ghetsis, N is still their King. His hands aren't as clean as you may want to believe."

A heavy silence fell between them all, the crackling of the fire seeming louder than usual.

"You can't understand what it's like to have so much blood on your hands…" Blue said softly, looking up to hold Red's stare as her tears finally fell.

"What are you talking about?"

"Think of all the people who had to die over the Conduits - over  _us_  - Max and May Maple, Green's Mother...my parents…" she swallowed hard, holding back the sob that threatened to escape. "I can't keep fighting for peace with so many lives already lost and more on the line. I can't kill anyone else, no matter what side they're on. I don't want anyone else to die because of me and N understood that."

"Yeah, so much that his father killed his own followers and N nearly threw me off a cliff," Red scoffed, releasing his hold of Blue and shaking his head.

"That's his father! How many times do I have to tell you that's not him?!"

"Death is part of war, Blue, and this is war." Red said, his eyes intense as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "So why don't you up and say what this is all really about?"

Blue paused for a beat, "What are you saying?"

"It's N," he said bluntly, the light from the campfire flickering on his face and shoulders gravely. "You feel bad for him, especially since he's obviously in love with yo-"

Red's words were ripped from his mouth as Blue's slap broke against the skin of his face, echoing loudly against the darkness. Turning back slowly, his eyes met her to see the tears now streaming down her face at full-force, though her expression was fierce.

"How dare you discard life like we're all just pawns on a chessboard," she hissed, turning scarlet and for a moment Red thought she was going to slap him again. Instead, she turned on her heel marching towards her tent. "And how dare you question how I feel about you after everything we've been through."

"I didn't say that, I said-"

"DAMN IT, RED! WHAT ELSE DO I HAVE TO DO FOR YOU TO GET THAT I LOVE  _YOU_?!" Blue screamed, angry tears running down her face as she bolted to her tent at a full-sprint.

Red stood, dumbstruck as Jigglypuff jumped from Yellow's lap. "JIGGLY!"

Hurrying to follow its trainer, the Pokémon turned to Red, kicking the teen in the shin before running into Blue's tent, a loud zip noise following.

* * *

Gary and Ash climbed the seemingly unsteady rock formation behind the Blackthorn City Gym. After nearly rolling his ankle three times, Gary concluded that he was getting too old for this line of work.

"Next time you want to invite me on one of your adventures, Ashy-boy," Gary said after nearly slipping over another loose rock and falling into the water below. "Don't."

Ash ignored him, jumping from the edge of the cliff to what appeared to be another rocky wall. Following behind, Gary looked at the wall incredulously.

"So what's this now?"

"The Dragon's Den," Ash said, pulling Charizard's ball from his belt. "Blackthorn has been the home for clan masters of Dragon-type Pokémon for generations. The masters built the den in a cavern with an underground lake that contains a shrine to Dragon Pokémon."

"And Lance is part of this clan?"

"He's the master," Ash said with a knowing smile. "If you were worried about the world ending, wouldn't you rather be home?"

"Yes," Gary stared, lamely. "I _would_."

Both men stood back as Charizard began powering up before hitting the wall with a Dragon Pulse attack. Instantly, the wall lowered to the ground with a crash, revealing the cave inside. Walking in behind Ash, Gary watched as Pikachu's cheeks sparkled and created a light in the darkness. Looking around on the walls, he noted the scrawling cave art of Dragon Pokémon and their trainers.

"Any chance we'll find Clair in here, too?" Gary asked as they headed down a long stone stairway. "Since she wasn't at the Gym, she could be hanging with Lan-OMPH!"

The chestnut-haired man groaned after walking into his friend's back. Rubbing his chest with a frown, he turned to Ash annoyed.

"Hey! What's the big idea just stopping like that?" he demanded before looking over Ash's shoulder at the scene before him. "Aw, shit!"

At the bottom of the steps was a large platform where Lance was standing, his cape discarded and his eyes crazed. In front of him stood his Gyarados, wrapped around Clair who was seemingly struggling for air. Aside, laying motionless, were her fallen Dragonair and Kingdra.

Both men pressed themselves flat against the cavern walls, with Charizard hunching low in the darkness behind. Pikachu climbed inside Ash's jacket as they watched the scene.

"Did you think you were clever, cousin?" Lance grinned as the woman struggled against Gyarados' grip. "Attempting to overrule me as Clan Master by telling the elders that I was...hmm...what was it?"

Clair didn't respond, her blue hair flailing in front of her eyes as she fought against the hold. A squeeze by Gyarados let out an anguished cry that gave Gary chills.

"You're...you're insane!" she coughed, looking at Lance through her hair as she gasped between the words. "You've been tainted by Ghetsis' madness and have turned into a monster!"

"Monster?" Lance echoed, as the sound of Clair's ribs crushing against Gyarados' scales rang through the den. "You've always been foolish, Clair, but I never thought you'd be so disrespectful. I am the Champion of the Indigo League, the head of the Blackthorn Dragon Clan and the rightful leader of both the Kanto and Johto regions!"

Lance made eye contact with his Gyarados, and with a thump it dropped Clair to the ground. Jumping into the water around the platform, Gyarados long tail splashed loudly. Gasping between coughs, the woman tried to sit up, hissing against her injuries. With heavy footsteps, Lance made his way in front of her, grabbing her by the jacket so she was facing him.

"Ghetsis didn't taint me, cousin," he grinned. "Who do you think told him about the Conduits in the first place?"

Shocked, Gary and Ash exchanged looks of horror before turning back to the dragon-trainers.

"No….why…" Clair shook her head. "You've unleashed hell on both our regions!"

"Not hell," he tapped her nose before throwing her on the ground. "Control. Imagine a world where every region is connected! Where mankind controls the power of all Pokémon!"

Across from him on the wall, Gary watched as Ash gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fist tightly.

"Ash, calm down!" Gary whispered harshly. "Don't do anything stupid!"

Ash's eyes remained on the scene, intensity brewing within its dark depths

"Ghetsis...will kill you," Clair gasped, eyeing as Gyarados reared its head from beneath the water, its eyes glowing red. "There's no way he vacant power so easily."

"I don't care about Ghetsis, the public's opinion will take him out themselves," Lance explained as Gyarados slithered onto to the platform, making its way back to Clair. "Those children are all in over their heads. Once the syzygy goes awry and Ghetsis falls, who else will the nation turn to for stability by their beloved Champion?"

Clair fell forward, coughing bloodily as Gyarados slowly re-captured its prey. Lance sighed loudly, walking towards his cloak to toss it over his shoulder.

In the corner of his eye, Gary saw Ash reach behind his back, making a hand motion towards Charizard.

"Damn it, Ash!" he hissed, grabbing the man's arm in his own. "You'll destroy any chance we have on sleath if you just run and gun in there!"

"I thought you'd known by now," Ash said as he turned to Gary, their eyes meeting in the darkness. "That was my plan all along."

"It's a shame you went behind my back, cousin. Now I have to go explain how it was you who had fallen into madness, wretched with so much anguish of never being the leader that you drowned yourself in the Dragon's Den." Lance said with a sinister smile. "Luckily, you were never known for your patience."

"NOW CHARIZARD!" Ash shouted, and the fire-typed roared through the entrance, breaking through the rocks and towards the platform. With a mega punch, Charizard knocked Lance's Gyarados back into the water with a large splash. Calling his Dragonite, Lance lifted himself up and away from the water.

Running out to the platform, Gary pulled Aerodactyl's ball from his waist and flew up to chase the Champion. On the ground, Ash's shoes skidded along the water as he made his way to Clair's side. He gathering her up in his arms.

"As I live and breathe," Clair gasped, blood still dripping from her lips. "If it isn't the long lost Ash Ketchum? You've come to save the day again."

"Don't talk, you gotta save your strength," Ash ordered, whistling as Charizard flew to his side and he lifted Clair to its back. "Charizard, take Clair to the Blackthorn City hospital!"

"Hospital?" she questioned, turning to the dark-haired man with unfocused eyes. "What about you?"

"I gotta go play hero," he smiled, patting Charizard's back as the fire-type lifted Clair up and out of the den with a roar.

"Pika pi!" squeaked Pikachu from his jacket and Ash looked up to see Lance's Gyarados rising up from the water.

"Damn it," Ash groaned, pulling Snorlax's ball from his belt as he ran backwards. The large normal-type emerged from its ball with a yawn, instantly blocking Gyarados bite attack with a mega punch. Looking up, Ash saw Gary's Aerodactyl and Lance's Dragonite brawl it out in the air, causing large clumps of rocks and boulders to fall into the water below.

"You insistent fool!" Lance called as Gary avoided another hyper beam attack, knocking over what appeared to be a serious sculpture of a Dragonair into the water below. "You're destroying this sacred cavern!"

"Says that guy who just blasted off half the shrine!" Gary scoffed quickly, before gasping when Lance's Dragonite dodged Aerodactyl's charge. Lance'sDragonite countered with a punch in the face that sent him reeling. "AUGH!"

"You know, Oak," Lance said, watching as Aerodactyl regained its bearings. "I never liked you."

"Yeah?" Gary laughed humorlessly as he charged again. "Well take a number!"

Aerodactyl screeched as it nailed Dragonite with a headbutt, sending it hurling towards the wall. However, it was a strong flier and able to regain its composure in time to charge up a Dragon Pulse attack. Stuck within the small space, Gary felt panic rise up his chest as he attempted to avoid the Dragonite.

"I've notice you're still wearing your wedding ring, Oak," Lance grinned as Gary turned to him, eyes wide. "Say hello to Jasmine for me. She was always such a delightful woman."

"TELL HER YOURSELF, ASSHOLE!" Gary screamed, turning Aerodactyl in his rage as they flew towards Dragonite's radiating form. Lance shook his head as he chuckled.

"Still such a hot-headed fool," he sighed, patting Dragonite's back as a sign to release its attack.

The dragon cried loudly as something from below them hit it from behind, and it took Lance a moment to realize it was an ice beam attack. Falling backwards into the rocky wall, Lance grunted loudly as his shoulder hit the rocky blounders. Groaning, Lanced looked down to see where the attack came from, knowing that it couldn't have been from Gary's Aerodactyl. His eyes narrowed when he saw the familiar figure of Ash Ketchum in the water on the back of a Starmie.

"How careless of me to forget about you, Ketchum," he groaned as he peeled himself from the rock. "After all these years, I was getting used to not thinking about you."

Ash didn't respond, not one to be baited by banter like Gary. Quickly, Starmie was back on the offense, sending a series of ice beams up at Lance's Dragonite that he was forced to dodge while avoiding swipes from Gary's Aerodactyl.

When one of Aerodactyl's hyper beams hit too close for comfort, Lance knew it was time to end this. Eyes narrowed, he pulled out the whistle around his neck. He blew it once and two Gyarados rose from the water.

"Gyarados, take them down," Lance boomed before charging towards Gary's Aerodactyl, pinning the Pokémon to the wall.

Ash cursed under his breath, ordering Misty's Starmie to hurry along the water, shooting beams of ice at the two water dragons. On the podium, Snorlax was a sitting duck given he was useless in the water. Thinking quickly, Ash had Starmie reverse, swimming backwards as it motioned as if to shoot another beam at the dragons. However, they were instead met with a water gun attack. Taken aback, the Gyarados paused, giving Ash enough time to unzip his bomber jacket.

"You're up, Pikachu," he said as the tiny electric mouse popped its head up with newfound determination. "Show 'em what you got!"

Pikachu's thunderbolt ripped through the water's current, instantly shocking the pair of Gyarados into submission. While dazed, Starmie sent the finishing blow in its ice beam attack, sending them falling backwards into the water with a huge wave that sent both Ash and Starmie back to the platform.

"Nice job, pal," Ash smiled, returning Snorlax to its ball and scratching Pikachu behind the ears. He heard Aerodactyl's screech rip through the air painfully. Before Ash could look up, he felt the large dragon crash onto the platform, it's trainer trapped beneath it.

"Gary!" he shouted, instantly running to pull his friend from beneath Aerodactyl's wing. With a groan, Gary swung his arm over Ash's shoulder, using his other hand to return his Pokémon to its ball.

Lance laughed from above them and with another shrill blow, three new Gyarados arose from the water. Frowning, Ash knew a losing battle when he saw one. Adjusting Gary on his shoulder, he hurried on the back of Starmie, surfing around the Gyarados skillfully before finding a hole within the rocky wall of the cavern. Squeezing inside, he jumped off the water-type's back to lean Gary against the inner wall.

"My arm's wrecked," Gary groaned, leaning his head back. "I also probably broke a few ribs when that asshole threw me into the wall."

Ash remained quiet, his eyes on the tiny entrance of their hole as water sloshed in and out with the Gyarados swimming. Outside, he heard Lance calling for them.

"He told us too much," Ash said, his voice even. "If we keep battling him, he's going to kill us."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Gary asked, wincing as he sat up. "We can't escape like this."

There was a heavy silence, instantly striking a cord of nostalgia in Gary's mind. It was the quiet that meant Ash had an answer, but couldn't say it out loud. The silence that since they were kids, Gary was able to fill with whatever crazy plan was churning in Ash Ketchum's mind. It was the same silence that told Gary twelve years ago that Ash was going to find the Conduits himself.

Looking over his shoulder, Gary met the look of his best friend. On his face was the simple, goofy smile that couldn't mask the pain that swirled beneath the depth in his eyes. Instantly, Gary understood what their only next steps were and he pulled himself up to his feet slowly.

Unzipping his jacket, Pikachu jumped from Ash's chest with practiced skill. Confused, Pikachu squeaked as Gary directed Ash to pull a handkerchief from his jacket as well as a pen and paper. With widening eyes, the electric mouse watched as his trainer scribbled a note on the paper and gathered their Poké Balls inside, the napkin tying it as a makeshift knapsack before turning to Pikachu. As Ash kneeled to be at his eye-level, the tiny Pokémon's eyes welled with tears.

"Pi...pika pi?"

"I need you to ride on the back of Starmie and get out of here, okay Pikachu?" Ash ordered as he tied the handkerchief around its tiny shoulders securely. "Charizard should be at the Blackthorn City hospital with Clair. Meet up with him, ok?"

Shaking its head, Pikachu's tears fell as he nuzzled into Ash's chest. Its squeaks were drowned out by the clashing of waves outside the hole as the Gyarados grew impatient.

"I know...but you're my Pokémon and you still gotta do what I say," Ash smiled kindly, pulling Pikachu away and poking its nose affectionately. "There's a note in the bag that will tell someone to bring you guys to the Cerulean Gym. It may be in shambles now, but Misty can take good care of you guys and she'd kill me if I didn't return Starmie."

"Pika pi!" the mouse cried and Ash swallowed hard, hugging the electric-type before forcing it on Starmie's back. "PIKA PI!"

"Go through the back," Ash ordered and Starmie nodded, zipping around and taking Pikachu out of the cavern, its heart shattering squeaks echoing against the rocks. With a heavy sigh, Ash adjusted his hat and turned to see Gary had pushed himself off the wall.

"God this sucks," Gary groaned as he looped his good arm over Ash's shoulder. "Y'know, this is my first time without a Pokémon since we were kids. I feel naked."

"It's safer this way," Ash said, walking slowly to the hole towards the Gyarados. "Who knows what Plasma will do to them."

"Considering they want a future that's free of humans and idyllic for Pokémon, probably something better than what they're about to do to us."

"In all fairness, you were a total asshole to them this entire time," Ash quipped and Gary couldn't help but laugh. "And we did blow up Rocket Enterprise."

"Ah, we most certainly did," Gary grinned, turning to his friend as they exited the cave, water sloshing at their ankles. "Ain't nobody else I rather have done it all than with you, Ashy-boy."

"Ditto," Ash smiled, before both men separated and surrendered to Lance.

* * *

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE, PEOPLE!" Yellow barked as the four teens sprinted through the Saffron City Station.

"We're moving!" Red fought, jumping over a mother and child's suitcases as they raced to reach their track on time. "Stop yelling at us and maybe take it out on the guy who's responsible!"

"I said sorry!" Green whined, frowning at his friend. "I forgot Yellow hacked our PokéDex to change our names and I'm a terrible liar!"

"Yeah, no kidding!"  

They slowed down near their gate, waiting for the door to open so they could descend onto the platform. Turning over his shoulder, Red made eye-contact with Blue. "Hey, you okay back there?"

Blue blinked, nodding frantically with a breathy, "Yeah!" before Red turned back to Yellow to argue about something. From the corner of her eye, she saw Green smiling her way and was instantly reminded of their exchange that morning.

_She had just finished tossing dirt on the fire-pit when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Spinning around quickly, Blue was surprised to see that it was Green._

_"What was that for?" she had asked, incredulously. "Were you trying to make me think there was a bug on my shoulder or something?"_

_"Ah, no no no!" Green had stammered before rubbing the back of his neck. "I actually...wanted to talk to you about something...um...in private?"_

_"Oh...yeah, sure," Blue nodded and followed Green to a where a small collection of trees blocked them from the other two. "So...um...what's up?"_

_"Listen...I know that everything about being a Conduit has been overwhelming for you and I just wanted to say that I don't blame you for what happened to my mom, Blue," Green had said, his emerald eyes filled with sincerity. "I never have."_

_"Oh, Green…" Blue had felt her throat tighten and had to swallow hard to keep from crying. Sensing this, Green had pulled her into a tight hug._

_"You're one of my best friends, okay?" he said and felt Blue nod into his chest. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you and Red are safe out there. I don't know what's going to happen, but I just wanted you to know that even though you're a Conduit, you're not the reason for all this violence."_

_Blue had clenched her teeth, pulling away from Green with a nod. She was nervous that if she opened her mouth a floodgate of tears would follow. He smiled, punching her playfully on the cheek with a smile._

_"So you better make sure the syzygy goes off without a hitch, alright?" he had joked, thumbing behind him. "Because you know that hothead is probably going to sabotage this whole thing with his temper."_

Blue smiled to herself at the memory, before hearing her name called. Ripped back to the present, she turned to see that the train had already been called and the other three were running ahead to the platform. Rushing to keep up, Blue sprinted after them, jumping between the doors last.

"Woo," she exhaled, turning to Yellow with a smile. "That was close."

"Something's wrong," Yellow said and instantly Blue felt her blood run cold. Turning around, she saw Green and Red's eyes narrow as they looked around the train car.

"Yeah," Green said, looking around. "Isn't it a bit weird that we're the only ones on this train?"

Suddenly, a loud buzzing rang through the train and Red turned around, "HEAD FOR THE DOORS!"

Sprinting, they made a beeline for the exit, only to watch as every door in the train instantly shut. Red swore loudly as he punched the door with a loud ding. No more than a second later, the train chugged out of the station, sending them all flying backwards.

"This is a magnet train," Yellow groaned as she tried to fight against the inertia of the train. "It moves at over 550 kilometers per hour."

"Thank you for reading the pamphlet, Yellow," Red groaned as he fought to stand up. "But where is it going if we're the only passengers?"

"This train only goes between Kanto and Johto, so it's a straight line," Green frowned as he looked out the window. "Whoever is behind this wants us in Johto and wants us alone."

There was a sudden jerk, sending the four of them hurling forward as they landed against the car's seats with a thud as the train began to slow down.

"Um...is it normal for the Magnet Train to slow down?" Blue asked.

"It was not mentioned in the pamphlet."

"Pi!" Pichu squeaked, poking its head from beneath Red's hat to point at the end of the train car.

There was a loud crack and the four teens turned their heads to see three masked men enter the car. Instantly, they recognized them as Team Plasma's Shadow Triad. With another jerk, the train began to speed up.

"Give us the girl."

"You know, I'm starting to get a bit hurt that you never ask for me," Red quipped as he sent a thunderbolt zipping towards the men. They dodged it easily, but gave Green and Yellow enough time to pull Golbat and Golem from their balls. Running to Red's side, Blue pulled Jigglypuff from its ball, having the fairy-type sit on her shoulder happily as she pushed a protective barrier before them.

"Golem, roll out!" Yellow ordered as the rock-type rolled towards the men, who quickly summoned three Muk from their own Poké Balls. The three men jumped above their poison-types elegantly, avoiding both Golem and Golbat's attacks as they reached for Blue. Their attack hit the barrier with a sizzle.

"Cool thing about Protect is that it keeps enemies from landing attacks," Red smirked as he pulled back his electrified fists. "But can allow critical hits for the user's team!"

The attack was enough to send three men flying backwards, landing into the disgusting mess of the three Muks. After a few moments of struggling, one of the ninja took a glove-full of Muk's poison, tossing it to the ceiling to quickly create a hole. As wind blew in from the train's motion, the three men used kunais with ropes to quickly escape out through the ceiling.

"Quick!" Green said, motioning everyone to follow. "We gotta get to the next car before Muk's poison seeps through the train ca-"

Green was cut off by a long blue vine shattering through the window and wrapping itself around his torso and mouth, yanking him backwards to the car behind him.

"GREEN!" Yellow screamed, turning to grab the boy only to have another vine crash through the window and grab her too. Setting her feet against the ground, she fought against its hold long enough to bark behind her. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

"BUT-"

"NO! GO!"

Blue opened her mouth to continue her protest, but was cut off by Yellow being hauled forward to where Green had been taken. Behind her, Golem and Golbat rushed after their trainers. Red turned to Blue, grabbing her by the hand to run, but quickly realized their feet were stuck. Looking down, he saw that Muk's goop had spread across the car.

"Shit!" Red swore turning to see Blue had taken the initiative and was currently climbing over the car's chairs in an effort to escape the train car.

"C'mon!" she said over her shoulder as Jigglypuff made the universal sign for hurry up. "Think of it like when we used to play hot lava in your living room as kids, but this time there actually is lava!"

"Not helping!"

Climbing over the chairs, they had just made it to the door, when they jumped at the small area of the floor that wasn't covered with poison. Noticing that the three Muks were all rapidly sinking into the floor, Blue could tell that they only had a few more seconds before they seeped completely through.

"Use Blastoise's hydro pump power to wash away some of this poison while I open this!" Blue ordered and Red nodded, tapping his starter's ball before clapping his hands together as he powered up the water attack. Quickly, he was bursting water from his fists, spraying away what little poison he could as Blue pulled against the latch with all her might.

"Hurry up!" Red barked as he pushed back what he could of the position to keep it from burning their sneakers. "They're about to cut through the entire-"

The shrill cry of metal screeched through the car as the poison wore down the last bit of the train, causing it to tear along the middle like a burn. The walls, already thinned by the Shadow Triad's escape, split like paper and was holding together by its last strand of iron. The train was about to split into two and if they didn't jump into the next car, they'd be left dangling along the tracks.

There was another screech and Blue was sure it was the car finally giving way until a long iron-clad tail bursted between the cars, breaking through the door entirely and creating a bridge between the broken cars. Shocked, Red and Blue turned to see Green and Yellow quickly running along the mysterious steel bridge. Below them, the Muks fell into the tracks at the car split into two.

"It's Rusty," Green explained, thumbing behind them to reveal the face of the stretched steel-type Pokémon. "I figured a Steelix would be the best way to keep together the decaying car until we can hop over."

"Nice," Red said, fist pumping his friend before turning to Yellow. "Were you guys able to take out whatever those vines were?"

"Yes, we were able to defeat their Tangela," she explained as they made their way towards the newly opened door to the next car on Rusty's back. "Right now, Golem and Golbat are creating a barricade so we can reach the head of the car,"

There was another crash from above as the three masked ninja jumped from the ceiling, landing in the middle of the steel-type's back.

"So much for that barricade," Red groaned as he charged forward, fist glowing with electricity.

"Red! Watch your step!" Blue called as the teen dodged two kicks and punch, barely maintaining balance on the Pokémon he stood upon. "One misstep and you'll fall into the tracks!"

"Don't worry about me, keep moving!"

Blue watched as Green's Golbat and Yellow's Golem hurried from the car, assisting Red in fighting the mask men. On her shoulder, she felt Jigglypuff nudge her to move as Yellow and Green yelled at her to jump into the next car. Looking down at the floor from beneath the Steelix, she saw that even with the car split down the middle, the Shadow Triad would follow them to any other part of the train. Another yell of her name went ignored as Blue felt the tickle of the passing wind blow through her hair as ran towards the middle of Rusty's ironclad bridge, pushing herself between Red and the Triad.

Instantly, the fighting stopped.

"Blue?" Red gasped. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm not going to allow anyone else to get hurt because of me," she called, standing in front of the Shadow Triad fiercely, "War or no war!"

She grabbed onto Red's still sparkling wrist and he watched the energy get sucked from him like a battery. He felt his muscles fatigue as he instantly felt weaker. Falling back, he stumbled onto the wall of the car, his body pressed up against the broken window. Under his hat, he felt Pichu faint into his hair from exhaustion

"Blue...no..." he groaned, as even opening his mouth to speak was too much. "You'll be...taken."

"I don't care, I'm sick of people getting hurt!" she shouted. "Not when it should be my job to protect them!"

Red watched paralyzed as the Shadow Triad sprung forward and Blue's Protect barrier went flying. It was the most powerful one he had seen in all their training, and with a graceful leap backwards from Rusty, she was standing in front of him again. She turned away from her work to look down at him with a smile, her hand resting on his cheek.

"I forget sometimes that I have to be blunt with you."

"S-shut up!" Red blushed, struggling to lift himself up to his feet. Between them, the sound of bending metal was creaking around them as Rusty began to lose its hold. "C'mon, we gotta get rid of these guys to get to Green and Yellow's side and-"

Red's rant was interrupted by Blue pulling him into a kiss, the softness now familiar. Though this time her lips were salty with the taste of tears. He didn't realize she was crying.

"I love you, Red," she whispered against his mouth as the deafening noise of metal breaking tore behind them as Rusty finally lost its hold and the Pokémon retracted like a tape measure, knocking Green and Yellow inside the moving cars. The car tore into two as Blue's shield shattered and the darkness of the Shadow Triad descended upon the Conduits like darkness. Their freed train car squeaked to a halt as its other half chugged on to Goldenrod City.


	38. Ecruteak City

Green groaned groggily as he awoke, feeling something slimy and wet lick his face. Deep in his sleep drenched mind, he wondered if it was Yellow and the thought of giving her private kissing lessons seemed promising. When consciousness finally caught up with him, he saw that he was nose-to-nose with a Growlithe that was wagging its tail excitedly.

Disappointed, Green pushed the fire-type away gently before reaching to his belt. He registered the fact that all his Pokémon were accounted with sleepy relief.

A shrill whistle that nearly sent Green jumping had the Growlithe running back to its owner. A quick peek around the corner revealed to him the owner of the whistle was Officer Jenny who was investigating the front half of the Magnet Train. A bright yellow tape blocked access to the wreckage from a gathering crowd.

"Oh, you're awake."

Looking up, Green saw Yellow holding two bottles of Fresh Water. Nodding, he climbed to his feet and took a bottle with a thanks. Untwisting the cap, he didn't realize how thirsty he was until he was gulping the water down, finishing its containments in seconds.

"So," he breathed, tossing the plastic bottle in the trash. "What's the plan? Are Red and Blue on their way back or are they too busy bickering?"

His heart dropped when he saw Yellow's eyes shoot down to the floor, her bangs covering the top portion of her face. Looking down at her hands, Green heard the crumpling of plastic as the girl gripped the bottle tightly.

"Yellow…" he said, pulling her arm in a wordless order to look up at him. "Where are they?"

"I...I'm sorry, Green," she said quietly, looking up at him with watery eyes. "They were taken. We were the only ones on the Magnet Train when it finally pulled into the station. The conductor was a Plasma Grunt and once I saw Officer Jenny arrest him, I knew we had to get out of there. I pulled you over here while they were busy with him but...Blue and Red were nowhere to be found."

Not thinking of the consequences, Green pulled the blonde into his chest, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He felt her stiffen in his hold, but knew better than to trust his own mouth with anything even sort of heroic or romantic at this point. Especially considering the circumstances, he was destined to muck it up.

"We'll get them back," he said at last, feeling his face flush. He wasn't as good at the tough guy talk as Red was, but he believed it. "I have a plan."

"You do?" he heard Yellow say. Green looked down to see the blonde's chin pressed against his chest, looking up at him wide-eyed with a slight flush on her cheeks. Instantly feeling his ears warm, the teen separated himself from the girl with a cough as he adjusted his belt.

"Uh...yeah," he said, turning away in hopes of hiding his own blushing face. "Follow me."

Yellow nodded, following a few steps behind him in silence. Pulling his PokéGear from his pocket, Green entered an address before navigating the streets of Goldenrod City. After a few minutes of silent wandering, Green turned the corner to a house with a familiar blue roof. As they turned into the walkway, Yellow noted the last name on the mailbox with a gasp.

"Your Grandfather lives here?"

"Great-Grandfather, actually," Green smiled as he rang the doorbell. "I try not to remind him too much since it makes him feel old."

After ringing the bell a second time, there was a buzz on the other end of the intercom that made it impossible for the teens to understand what the person was saying.

"Hey Gramps, it's me Green," the teen said after the static on the other end had stopped. "I'm here to ask about the syz-WAH!"

"GREEN!" Yellow cried as the front door opened and the teen was pulled inside by a pair of strong arms. Rushing in, she instantly recognized that the arms belong to the aging (yet still surprisingly strong) frame of Professor Samuel Oak. Not knowing if this was some kind of Oak family greeting, Yellow stood in awe as she watched Green get put into what appeared to be a seriously painful headlock.

"SAMUEL!" came an unfamiliar female voice from the top of the stairs. "PUT HIM DOWN, IT'S JUST GREEN!"

"Green?" the elderly man question, finally taking the time to look down at his captive. Instantly his face broke into a smile. "GREEN! My dear boy, why didn't you say it was you?"

"I did!" Green gasped when his Great-Grandfather released him, rubbing his neck with a frown. "What's wrong with your intercom?"

"Oh that was me," said the woman who Yellow didn't recognize, her graying auburn hair tied back in a messy ponytail. "Sorry about that, I didn't really know what I was doing - we don't have things like that in Pallet Town."

"It's fine - oh! Sorry," Green said turning to Yellow. "Sorry, I should introduce you guys. Yellow, this is my Great-"

There was a loud cough from the man which Green expertly ignored.

"-Grandfather, Samuel Oak," he said as Yellow shook the older man's hand. "Gramps, this is Yellow. She's part of the Underground."

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Professor Samuel Oak," Yellow said with a bow and the old man instantly bursted into goodnatured laughter.

"No need to be so formal, my dear," the creases around his eyes dimpling as he smiled. "My grandson may have taken over my Lab in Pallet Town, but you can still just call me Professor."

"Oh, of course," Yellow nodded. "I've heard so much about you, Professor Oak. It is nice to put a name to a face."

"Likewise."

"And Yellow, this is Delia Ketchum," Green said allowing both women to shake hands.

"I'm Red's Grandmother and Ash's Mother," Delia smiled warmly. "You can just call me Mrs. Ketchum, since I doubt my daughter in-law goes by her married name."

"Uh, I suppose not," Yellow said, blushing awkwardly. "Though I've never called her anything other than Leader Misty."

Delia nodded before turning to Green excitedly, "Oh my gosh, Green, she's so sweet. I'm so happy you're dating such a polite young lady!"

"WHAT?!" both teens cried, face red as they stammered in unison. "WE ARE NOT DATING!"

"Oh?" Professor Oak said, face suddenly smug. "You're not, huh?"

"N-no!" Green stuttered, ears crimson as he cleared his throat. "We're working together for the Underground and there's some serious stuff going-"

Green was interrupted by a loud buzzing noise ringing from the television in the living room. The noise was only used for urgent broadcasts along the region regarding weather emergencies or other disasters. They hurried to the television to listen to the news break.

_"This is an emergency broadcast brought to you by BuzzNav. Currently, Pokémon League Champion Lance has set up a news conference in front of the still demolished Indigo Plateau. It's suspected that the Champion will be making comment on the attacks in Kanto that's most recently included the destruction of the Viridian and Cerulean Gym as well as the disappearance of several of the region's Gym Leaders...Ah! And here he is now!"_

Making long strides to his podium, Lance turned fiercely into the camera as the wind blew his cape behind him. His spiky red hair stood sharply as his coal black eyes stared directly into the camera's lens. His deep voice roared like a dragon through the television's speakers.

_"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. As the Champion of both the Kanto and Johto regions, nothing has been more devastating to me than the destruction of our strongest connection - the Indigo Plateau. Behind me where there was once greatness, now sits ashes. Where there was once strength, is now rubble. However, this is the latest in many various other terroristic attacks on both our regions. Besides the ongoing attacks on Gym Leaders and their gyms there was most recently the attack on the Rocket Enterprise Building during the much beloved Rainbow Festival in Celadon City. Though I've been criticized for not being visible during these attacks, it was not because I had abandoned my people. No, it was because I was working to bring the masterminds behind these attacks to justice - and I am here to proudly share to you the fruits of my labor."_

There was an excited audible whispering from the crowd as two Plasma Grunts, in their gray uniforms and black berets, escorted out two men with their faces covered. Though both men captive, they struggled against the grip with one man giving an ineffective kick in the shin to his captor.

"Oh no…" Professor Oak whispered and instantly it clicked for Green who the men were before their identities were revealed.

His thoughts were confirmed a moment later when the masks were lifted to reveal the faces of Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak with their mouths taped closed, looking battered and bruised against their shackles. The crowd gasped in collective shock before the snaps of cameras began and the questions poured from reporters mouths. Turning to Delia, Green saw the same fierceness in her brown eyes that matched those of her son on the television.

_"Though difficult to believe at first that a man who I had once trusted to be on my own Elite Four would betray me, it is true. Both Ash Ketchum and Kanto's own Gym Leader and Pokémon Professor Gary Oak were behind these strings of violent attacks. Their plan was to take down every Gym in Kanto, including the gym of Ketchum's wife, Leader Misty, who he abandoned with his child years earlier. Calling themselves 'The Underground,' Ketchum seduced many young trainers to join his charade, spinning them lies about false corruption in our government and the businesses of Kanto. He was joined by Oak, who was driven to madness after the death of his wife, Leader Jasmine, during the collapse of the Olivine City Lighthouse. However there is new evidence as more reports come in on Oak's narcissistic behavior, we are considering re-opening the cause of Leader Jasmine's untimely death as a possible murder as new details now link Oak to the scene."_

At this, Gary instantly bucked against his shackles, his screams muffled as he attempted to lunge at Lance, who backed away nervously. There were screams from the crowd as the cameras continued to snap and the two Plasma grunts dragged the man away from Lance, as he continued to fight against their hold. Their shackles connected, Ash was dragged away too. Adjusting his cape with a clear of his throat, the Champion turned back to the microphone.

_"To serve for their crimes, both men are to be executed tomorrow at dusk by hanging in Ecruteak City's Bell Tower. Considering the severity of this act, the Bell Tower will be closed for the rest of the week. On a similar note, I've seen many reports of concerns coming about tomorrow night's syzygy from Nacrene Museum Director Lenora in the Unova region. However, the syzygy is nothing to be nervous about, and as respectful of the director's research as I am, there is no connection between the aligning of planets and the behavior of Pokémon. The talks of legendary Pokémon appearing for this cosmic event is simply that of science fiction novels. Please feel free to enjoy your evening with your family, friends and Pokémon under the stars to witness a beautiful alignment of our solar system."_

With that final line, Lance excused himself from the podium, his cape flapping behind him as the reporters shouted questions at him. After a few minutes, the feed cut back to the newscaster and Delia pressed the power button on the remote control, shutting off the television.

Stunned, Green and Yellow exchanged looked before turning to Delia and the Professor. The old man had turned to sit in his armchair, patting his sides before finding a beat up box of cigarettes. Pulling a stick from the pack, he brought it to his lips.

"That stuff will kill you, Samuel," Delia said, eyes still on the dark screen as the man made an irritated grunt at her.

"They say that, but here I am with my Great-Grandson and my Grandson about to get himself executed by the Pokémon League Champion."

"Dad and Ash weren't behind all those attacks!" Green fought, turning to them desperately. "It was Team Plasma and-"

"Of course we know that, Green," Professor Oak said with a roll of his eyes as he exhaled a cloud of smoke from his nostrils. "For god sakes, your father could barely be bothered enough to give new trainers their starter Pokémon, let alone be the mastermind behind an international terrorist organization."

"And Ash can't even remember to pack clean underwear," Delia smiled with a small laugh. "Reddy can't either - must be a Ketchum boy thing."

"But The Underground-"

"Was a wild goose chase." Professor Oak interrupted, sending a cold stare at Yellow. "The Conduits are nothing but a myth and it's sad that so many have sacrificed their lives for a legend."

"That's not true," Green said sternly, earning himself a surprised look from his great-grandfather. "The Conduits are real and the syzygy tomorrow is why they've appeared."

A shocked silence fell upon the group until Delia broke it with a lighthearted giggle.

"I suppose that's why Red and Blue aren't with you?" she smiled genuinely and the teens nodded. "I'm glad. Not to sound crass, but it's a relief to know that your mother's death was not in vain, Green."

Green nodded, understanding Delia's sentiments in their own way. It appeared that the Ketchums had an awkward way of speaking genuinely about even the most morbid of topics.

"It is sad, though, that Ash left everyone to look for something that was waiting at home for him the whole time," she continued, looking down at the floor before turning to Green. "I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble for me to ask you both to bring back my son and grandson? I think it would be nice to have my family back together again after all this."

"Yes, of course," Yellow nodded turning to Green before back at Delia. "We promise."

"Thank you," she smiled, turning around on her heel. "I assume you're heading to Ecruteak City to stop my son's wrongful execution?"

"Uh...yeah," Green said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I suppose that's our next stop."

"Good," Delia cheered, popping her head around the corner from the kitchen with a bright smile. "I'll pack you kids some snacks!"

* * *

The chains from Red's shackles dragged heavily on the wooden floor of the Bell Tower. Behind him, the Plasma Grunts mumbled empty threats under their breath.

"Lord Ghetsis has a bone to pick with you, brat," hissed one woman, as the imprint of her black gloves pressed themselves into Red's wrist.

"Yeah, lookin' for you got a lot of my buddies killed," said a boy who Red couldn't think was much older than him. By the sounds of his accent, he was from the Hoenn region. "You Conduits are freaks of nature. I'm excited to see Ghetsis whip the floor with y'all."

"Though the girl is pretty cute," another man chuckled and Red instantly straightened, turning in his hold to make eye-contact with the grunt. "I hope Ghetsis leaves her alive for the rest of us. Big tits are my kinda thing."

"FUCK YOU!" Red shouted, leaning back forcefully to head butt he grunt. For a second, Red felt some satisfaction when he heard a crack and saw blood spew from his newly broken nose. It was short lived, as a moment later he was face-first in the wooden wall, his hat knocked off and landing heavily on the floor.

Face still squished, from the corner of his eye Red saw Pichu's tiny yellow head peek from the hat. Turning his head as much as he could, he managed to sign to the electric-type to stay hidden. Understanding, Pichu went back to hiding in silence. Peeled off the wall, Red was face-to-face with the same grunt who had made the comment about Blue. Though he had attempted to clean himself up, specks of red were littering his black uniform and his nose was already beginning to swell.

"Try shit like that again and see how long you last in here, Ketchum," he barked before landing a punch in Red's stomach. Doubling over with a groan, Red could barely keep the wind in his lungs before he was hit again. "Ghetsis is gonna kill you anyway, so I don't think he'll mind if we tenderize the meat for him, eh?"

Red groaned, raising his eyes enough to see that his hat was still on the floor. He almost sighed what little air he had in him when he saw that it was empty - Pichu had managed to escape.

"Hold it!" came a voice and Red felt his blood freeze. Could someone had caught up to Pichu already?

Unable to pull himself up, Red felt himself be straightened as he saw two women in white dresses make their way down the hallway. The woman who had called out had pink-hair, looking furious, while the second one had light blonde hair. All of the grunts froze at the sight of them.

"What do you think you are doing?" the pink haired woman demanded as the blonde looked at Red with a lazy smile. "You had orders to bring this boy to the holding chamber with Lord N."

"Um...yeah, we did, Ms. Anthea" said the grunt from Hoenn. "But he was mouthin' off so we figured we'd teach him a lesson beforehand, eh?"

"Hmm, mouthing off?" echoed the blonde, smile still on her face as she looked between Anthea and Red. "It sounded more to me that you were making disgusting misogynistic threats about his friend. Is that right?"

"Ah...w-well, Ms. Concordia - ACK!" the female grunt screamed, when suddenly a bright light appeared from the blonde's side revealing a Gardevoir that pinned the grunts to the wall by the back of their uniforms. "Ah! Ms. Concordia!"

"Do not fret," Concordia smiled as Anthea grabbed Red's shackles from the grunts, pulling him away from the others. "We shall escort him ourselves."

"Since you all obviously cannot be trusted," Anthea hissed, pulling her own Poké Ball from her side, revealing a Gothitelle. "Make sure they stay put, Gothitelle!"

The Pokémon nodded, turning to the now fearful lookings grunts. Red wasn't able to see what happened next as he was already being dragged through the hall and down another flight of stairs.

They soon neared a heavy looking wood door, which Concordia opened easily. On the other side, Red saw that the room was separated into two by an iron gate. The two women led him to the side where the familiar form of N sat, looking up at the ceiling warily. Unflinching, his gaze remained even when Anthea attached Red's chains to his own.

"How are you feeling, my lord?" Concordia asked kindly, though was met with silence by the green-haired boy. She didn't seem bothered by it, which Red found a little odd. If that was his mother or one of his aunts, he'd would've gotten a lecture for being so rude.

"Now that the Conduit is here, your father assures us that tonight's syzygy will go as planned," Anetha explained and Red saw N's face tense.

"My...Pokémon...are they…." his voice trailed off, though the women were able to deceiver what he was at least attempting to say.

"They're safe," Concordia assured, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder. "You should rest now. Tonight is rapidly approaching, my lord."

He nodded and both women quickly left the room, closing the door behind them. Turning to N, Red couldn't help but scoff.

"Well, it's nice to know that you're an anti-social dick to everyone," he joked, earning himself a fierce look from the teen which he ignored. "Now I don't feel so bad."

"If you value enjoying the last hour of your life in peace, Ketchum, then I suggest you watch your mouth."

"Wait, I know that voice!" came a voice from the other side of the gate and Red looked to see a shadowy figure scramble to the gates, dragging his cellmate with him. Instantly, Red recognized it as Ash with Gary in tow, looking annoyed.

"Dad! Uncle Gary!" he called, pulling himself over and dragging N behind him. Though the green-haired teen complained about the treatment, Red ignored him as he was hugged through the bars by his father. "I'm so happy you're okay."

"Same here, though I wish I could've found out under better circumstances," Ash frowned, cupping Red's face through the bars sadly. "We saw Blue when Lance brought us in so I had a feeling they had you, too. I'm just relieved they didn't kill you."

"Still not entirely off the table," N said in passing, though both Ketchums ignored him.

"How's your Mom? Were they captured?"

"She's okay, she's in Johto with Blaine, Janine and Daisy," Red explained and saw the look of relief on his father's face.

"They're probably on their way here as we speak," Gary said, turning to Red. "What about Green? Was he with you guys?"

"Yeah, we were all on the Magnet Train, but their ninja guys split the car in half and took Blue and me," Red said, mimicking a cutting motion with his hands. "Yellow and him were on the side that made it to Goldenrod."

"Most likely they're heading here as well," Ash said looking at the floor with a nervous smile. "Damn...this is gonna get messy."

"Good! Let it get messy!" Red cheered though his face fell when he saw his father and Gary did not share his sentiment. "What's wrong?"

"Red, listen to me," Ash said, grabbing Red by the arm and turning the boy to face him. "You both need to get out of here, alright? Even if they have Blue, once the syzygy begins she's useless without a conductor. Your mother and the others will be here soon and you need to use that chance to escape."

"But what about you?"

They remained silent and N turned to Red with a stoic look.

"Champion Lance is executing them today at the Bell Tower," he said, his voice even. "He's charged them for everything my father had been doing as well as the death of Jasmine Oak."

"WHAT?!" Red yelled, looking at his father panicked. "No...no that isn't right! You didn't do anything! How can Lance...what…"

"Lance has been working with my father since the beginning, Ketchum," N continued, rolling his neck so he could send Red a bored expression. "The two of them are apparently planning on using the Conduits power during the syzygy to take over all of the regions."

Red watched as N yawned widely, smacking his lips together before seemingly noticing that he was still attached to him via chains, "Oh, my apologies. World domination plots are just so terribly boring."

"Since you're royalty, are you this weird because your parents were, like, siblings or something?" Gary asked raising an eyebrow skeptically, though his question remained unanswered as the door to their side of the cell opened. Even in the dull light, Red recognized the guards as the Plasma Grunts from earlier.

"A'right, who's ready for a good ol' fashion hangin'?" the one from Hoenn smirked.

Quickly, Ash turned to Red, squeezing his arm.

"If giving my life gives you enough time to live, I'd give it for you a thousand times over," he said, tears welling in his eyes and Red felt his entire being shake. "I'm so sorry for everything I've done, but if I can do this one thing for you, I'm happy."

"No, Dad!" Red sobbed as the grunt with the broken nose preyed Ash away from the gate, sneering at Red in the process. "DAD!"

"Time to go, Ketchum," he snarled, pulling him back forcefully and dragging him and Gary towards the exit. Red continued to scream, banging against the gate as the Plasma Grunt chuckled under his breath at the scene.

"Be good to your mother!" Ash shouted, voice breaking. "I love you, Red!"

"DAD!" Red screamed, tears cascading down his face as the door slammed closed, leaving him and N alone in the silence.

Trying his best to gathering himself, Red looked up to see N staring at him, his green eyes wide.

"What?!" he choked, rubbing his face hard with his sleeve. "You gonna make a smart ass comment about crying over loved ones being some kind of weakness?"

"No...I wasn't..."

"Then what?!"

"I...well, I was just shocked by your father's actions, is all." N said, earnestly. "It wasn't out of loyalty or some greater scheme. It was from pure love. I've never witnessed that before, especially from my own father."

Red stared at the other teen, feeling something inside him turn but he didn't have time to digest it. Turning up to the ceiling, he curled his lip under his teeth and released a shrill whistle that bounced off the wooden walls.

"Dear god, Ketchum, what on Earth are you trying to do?"

"My Pichu doesn't stay in a Poké Ball, so he wasn't confiscated by your little grunts. He escaped when my hat fell off when they were bringing me here," Red explained, dragging their chains as he walked along the cell's perimeter. "I'm trying to lure him here so he can help."

"Help?" N scoffed as Red dragged him around like a dog on a leash. "What on earth can a tiny Pichu possibly do against an army of grunts?"

"A lot," Red said, sending a smirk over his shoulder at the green-haired teen. "He knocked you on your ass, for starters."

N frowned, his face tinting a slight shade of crimson as Red looked up in glee as a tiny yellow fur-ball pushed its way through the gap between wooden panels.

"Pichu!" it squeaked as it jumped from the ledge and onto its trainer's shoulder, nuzzling Red's cheek affectionately.

"Good boy, Pichu," Red cooed before turning to the green-haired teen skeptically. "Alright, so what's your deal?"

N blinked rapidly, and Red took that as a sign that he didn't understand what he meant. Or that he forgot how to communicate with humans - either was possible.

"I mean, what is your situation with these guys," Red said, motioning with his shackled hand with a jiggle of chains. "I know Blue trusts you, but I have to hear it for myself. Are you with them or against them?"

"You're asking me if I'm with Team Plasma?" N said and Red nodded. "I mean...I am their supposed King, but it appears that my father has orchestrated a coup. When I was made King of Plasma as a child, it was my goal to be a force that would bring peace to Pokémon by freeing them from the corruption of humans."

He paused, looking up at Red with a sad half smile, "However, having met Blue and seeing so many other humans who treat each other and their Pokémon with such blind, stupid, compassion...it's hard to still believe the world is as black and white as I once thought. Humans are capable of having bonds with Pokémon that are stronger than just tools for battling. So yes, I want my reign back - but I want to be the leader that bridges the world for both Pokémon and humans, and to right my father's violent wrongs with true peace."

"Alright, so I'm taking that as a we're-in-a-temporary-truce-unless-I-have-to-kick-your-ass deal," Red smirked, pulling N up by the chains. "Let's blow this joint."

* * *

Gary and Ash walked up the wooden stairs of the tower with heavy steps. Looking up through the hole in the middle of the Bell Tower, Ash was able to see Lance standing at the top, looking pleased with himself.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Ash said low enough for Gary to hear.

"Sure seems that way," Gary sighed loudly. "And to think this is how it's going to end of us, Ashy-boy. Kind of sucks doesn't it? I was hoping for a better way to die."

"Oh yeah?" Ash smirked. "Like how?"

"It was between dying peacefully in my sleep surrounded by my friends and family," Gary smiled, wickedly. "And over-exhaustion from days long sex-fueled ragers with a busload of models."

"Wow, that's a lovely image to end my life on," Ash groaned before being shoved by one of the Plasma Grunts to move faster with less chit-chat.

As they continued their trek, he heard the sounds of electricity zapping and looked across the way to see Ghetsis standing over a chained-up Blue, dressed in a white gown, while a captured Zapdos sent thunderbolts through her body. Behind them stood the other two Legendary Birds, waiting in captivity for their own chance to test their powers on the Conduit.

"HEY!" Ash called, gaining the attention of the sage. Concentration broken, the thunderous bird eyed Ash over its beak, giving an exhausted Blue time to catch her breath. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?"

Blue's eyes rolled towards Ash and his stomach sank went he saw her lips twitch up in an arrogant smile. She was holding on, regardless of how Plasma manipulated her powers.

"Preparing her for the syzygy, of course," Ghetsis smirked before barking at the grunts to get back to work. Instantly, Ash was held back by more guards forcing him up the stairs

"Foolish creature!" he heard Ghetsis snarl behind him as the sage prodded the bird with his staff causing it to cry out in pain. "I didn't tell you to stop!"

Ash gritted his teeth, eyes shut closed as he was pushed forward as Blue's screams faded into the wood. Everything he had worked for, all the people he wanted to protect, his family, his friends - it was all for nothing.

Next to him, he heard Gary still making snide remarks even in what were surely his last moments alive. Green instantly came to mind and his heart shattered at the thought of such a kind boy who was barely old enough to be considered a man, to have both his parents ripped from him so violently. His thoughts traveled to his mother, who had always worried about him, having to get the news that she was right all along. Her son's meddling did get him killed in the end. Most painfully, he thought of Misty and Red, hoping to whatever deity there was that his always reliable redhead would save their child and get out of this mess. After all this, the best he could hope for was that they would let the memory of the Underground die with his decaying carcass in the basement of the Bell Tower.

His eyes opened when he felt the noose drop around his neck, his hands still tied behind him. Looking up, he saw that their ropes were tied to the top of the tower around wooden beams. Eyeing Gary, he saw that the man was in the same situation at he was, both standing over a single plank of wood above the center opening of the Bell Tower. Behind them, Lance watched, eyes focused in sinister satisfaction and next to him were the grunts and a Machamp between them. The soft red hues from the day's sunset warmed everything around them in a rosy glow.

"When I give the signal, Machamp will break the beam," Lance explained, seemingly unconcerned. "Do either of you have any last words beforehand?"

Ash shook his and Gary turned around to face the Champion, "Yeah, I have something to say."

Lance raised an eyebrow, indicating Gary to continue.

"KISS MY ASS!" he shouted and Lance frowned, turning to the Machamp, lips parting to give the order.

Ash closed his eyes,the last rays of sunlight burning behind his eyelids.

"WAIT! SIR!" one of the Plasma grunts called, pointing to level below that was visible below. There was a crash and Ash opened his eyes in shock to see Red and N, still chained together, rushing towards the top of tower surrounded by a barrier of electricity.

"LANCE!" Red shouted, looking up through the middle of the tower at the Champion.

"Shit! The Conduits!" another Grunt said, turning to Lance. "How'd they get a Pokémon?!"

"It doesn't matter!" Lance growled, turning to the Machamp. "Destroy the board!"

With a nod, Machamp wound up its arm, powering up for an attack. Seeing this, N turned to Red.

"Quick! Aim for the rope above them!" he ordered and Red nodded, swinging the metal chains between the two of them to send Pichu's thunderbolt above to where the ropes were tied. It landed with a loud crackle, though nothing but smoke appeared.

"So sorry, boys, but wood doesn't conduct electricity," Lance laughed as Machamp's attack finished powering up.

"Wasn't aiming at it," Red grinned as the rope's smoke turned to fire just as Machamp's attack hit the board.

Gary and Ash fell like rocks, though the already burnt rope wasn't secure enough for their weight and snapped the moment their weight was released. Free falling down, Ash felt his body brace for the impact with the ground, a dark part of his mind wondering if a broken neck would've been a better way to go than as a stain on the tower's lobby floor.

When he felt himself be caught in mid-air, he figured he'd already died. It wasn't until he opened his eyes to see the familiar red hair of his wife that he considered the possibility that maybe he had survived. There was no way the afterlife could be that cruel.

"M-Misty?" he stammered, looking down to see that they were on the back of his Charizard.

Looking over her shoulder, she sent him a wink as Charizard flew through the middle of the Bell Tower with a roar, circling above the structure slowly. Below them, Ash saw that Daisy and her Altaria had caught Gary. He also saw small specs on the ground floor, which he assumed were Blaine and Janine.

"How…" he gasped unable to form any kind of coherent sentence as the breeze of the rapidly chilling night air swirled around them.

"Ahem!" his wife cleared her throat, turning around to pull out a piece of paper from her breast pocket, shaking it out to read. "Hi, I'm Pikachu - if you find me and my friends please bring me to Cerulean Gym. Thanks."

Ash's breath hitched in his throat when he saw the yellow electric mouse poke its head up on Misty's shoulder, while the water trainer eyed him over the letter, looking smug.

"You spelled Cerulean wrong, you doofus," she smiled before Ash pushed himself forward, smashing their faces together in passionate kiss.

"I love you," Ash gasped against her lips, enjoying how warmly her cheeks had blushed as the contact. It was like they were kids again. For good measure, he pulled her back to his lips to double-check it wasn't a dream.

"I love you too," she replied between her own kisses, her smile reaching the corner of her eyes as she reached for her pocketknife to free him of the ropes around his wrists. After he had tossed them over, he felt Misty place his Poké Balls in his hand. "Now let's save our son."


	39. The Syzygy

Misty steered Charizard towards N and Red. Both boys were still chained together as she ordered them to move away from each other. They stretched the chain tense to avoid the Pokémon's metal claw attack. After the fire-type broke the chains in two with a snap, Red rubbed his wrists.

"Thanks," he said as his mother embraced him in a hug before turning to his father. "You okay?"

"Of course," Ash said sending his son a thumbs up. "But you gotta find Blue, you don't have a lot of time."

"He's right, the syzygy is nearly upon us." N said, already turning to leave. "She's with my father, let's go, Ketchum!"

Misty watched as Red followed the green-haired boy up the Bell Tower. Turning to her husband, he seemed to be reading her mind.

"He'll be fine," Ash assured, looking over side to see Gary rushing towards Lance. "But I should probably help Gary."

"And I'll push back the Grunts with the others," she nodded with a smile. "You sure you're okay?"

Ash smiled, reaching out the take Misty's hand in his and squeezed. The light of the moon, he saw the shimmer of their matching gold bands and felt his heart swell.

"Positive," he said kissing her chastely on the temple before parting. "Now go!"

Red ran alongside N, punching and zapping their way through the Plasma Grunts .

"Your parents seem kind," N said while kicking a skinny male grunt aside. "I'm happy we were able to save your father."

The words of encouragement caught Red off-guard. He wasn't used to people who had tried to kill him complimenting his parents.

"Um...yeah, me too," Red said, not knowing how to respond to the statement. He went back to stunning grunts, relieved when N didn't say anything else.

Red felt the muscles in his body tense and energy fill his body like air in a balloon as they ran. Pichu's electricity flowed through his veins easier and each of his attacks landed easier. He saw the night sky splitting into two, breaking in the middle as a line of light began to align.

The syzygy really was happening.

Red felt the air rush from his lungs when he hit N's extended arm. The clothesline nearly sending him flying forward if not for his sneakers. Turning to yell at the teen, Red noticed the three ninjas from the Magnet Train in front of them.

"Lord Ghetsis instructed us to escort you to the top of the Bell Tower," they said in unison. "And to dispose of Red Ketchum."

"Well that's not happening," Red said, clapping his hands together. His skin tingled as he charged Pichu's electricity through his fingers.

With newfound power, he sent thunderbolts whirling towards the masked men with increased accuracy. The Shadow Triad were fast, but avoided each bolt with acrobatic flips and jumps. Red cursed under his breath as he struggled to aim at the men. Together they weaved through his attacks with superhuman ease. N attempted to fight off the men barehanded, charging ahead. But without the enhanced Conduit power of Pokémon, he was overtaken with ease.

Red grew frustrated as he struggled to make contact with the men. They were toying with them and Pichu was beginning to get tired. Loyal to its trainer, Pichu kept giving off shock after shock when ordered. Judging by Pichu's heavy breathing, Red knew he was one step closer to exhausting the electric-type with every shot.

"Damn it, N!" Red shouted when another thunderbolt missed. "Aren't you Plasma's King? Can't you order them to back off?"

"We are only loyal to Lord Ghetsis," the masked men said.

"That's convenient," came a female voice. Red turned to see that it belonged to Anthea, the pink-haired woman from earlier. "Because we're only loyal to Lord N."

At Anthea's side were Gardevoir and Gothitelle, already summoning their psybeam attacks. Next to her was Concordia who turned to the boys with a comforting smile.

"Allow us to handle the Shadow Triad," she said, her voice soothing. Concordia took hold of both their hand and returned their confiscated Poké Balls.

"Anthea...Concordia…" N's voice broke as he swallowed hard. "Thank you…"

"Of course, my lord," Concordia smiled,

"Go!" Anthea ordered and both teens jetted along the hallway.

Looking next to him, Red saw that N's jaw was clenching. He wondered if the teen was crying and if that was even possible. Not knowing how else to break the awkward tension, Red cleared his throat loudly.

"Your moms are cute," he said and the quip earned himself an unamused look from N. Luckily, there were no trace of tears.

"Shut up, Ketchum," he grumbled as they rounded the corner. From the corner of his eye, Red was able to see the ghost of a smirk on N's lips. "And they're more my sisters than anything."

As they neared the final staircase of the Bell Tower, Red and N caught up with Ghetsis.

With the help of a herd of Plasma Grunts, the old sage had chained Blue into submission. Pulling her forward on chain, they lead her to the top of the Bell Tower.

"Father!" N shouted, gaining the attention of Ghetsis. "Let her go!"

"Oh please," Ghetsis said, rolling the eye that wasn't covered by an eye-patch. "You both escaped?"

"Red!" Blue gasped, bucking against her chains at the sight of the boy.

Red tapped Blastoise's ball on his belt, charging the water-type's hydro pump in one hand as he gathered electricity in the other. Smashing his fists to the ground, he sent an electrical tidal wave that took out half the Grunts. The other half held onto Blue's chains tightly.

"Woah," she gasped, turning to Red with a slight blush. "That was cool!"

"Let her go!" Red ordered the remaining Plasma Grunts. "I'm only gonna get stronger as the syzygy continues!"

"I should teach you some manners, brat," Ghetsis hissed as he eyed the dark-haired teen. "It'll make you seem far less stupid."

"And I should teach you how to fight," Red retorted, fist sparkling. "Since you seem to do very little of it."

"You're just as brash as your father," the old sage said before turning to the grunts. "Bring the girl to the top of the tower."

"But what about Lord N-" a female grunt attempted to ask before being cut off by Ghetsis.

"He will be joining her shortly," he answered, turning to his son with a wicked grin. "One way or another."

The grunt nodded, pulling Blue back into control as she was forced up the stairs.

"Follow her," N said to Red, though his eyes were still on his father.

"Don't you want help?" Red asked looking at Ghetsis.

"It's not necessary. This is my battle to fight," N explained before tapping Darmanitan's Poké Ball. "And besides, Blue needs her partner."

"N…" Red said quietly as the teen rolled his shoulders back. He knew he didn't have much time and Ghetsis was only sparing him as bait.

"Stop stalling!" N ordered and he was off like a rocket.

"YOU BETTER FUCKING WIN, ASSHOLE!" Red yelled over his shoulder, zipping up towards the long staircase that led to the roof of the tower. Over the railing, he saw Gary and his father battling Lance while his mother and the other Gym Leaders took on more grunts.

"HEADS!" he heard in a familiar voice and Red looked down to see Green and Yellow fighting Plasma Grunts on the ground level of the Bell Tower. Relived to see that his friends had made it off the Magnet Train, he placed two fingers in his mouth to release a shrill whistle. He gained Green's attention instantly.

"You're alive!" Green shouted and Red sent him a thumbs up.

"Barely!" Red joked, pulling his Poké Ball from his belt. "Think fast!"

Throwing Blastoise and Talonflame's balls through the opening in the middle of the tower, Green flew up halfway on his Pidgeot to catch them mid-air. Still on the ground with her Dodrio and Golem, Red heard the muffled shouts of Yellow scolding him for his actions.

"Um, don't you need these?" Green asked though Red was already back to the climbing the stairs. Swooping back to the ground, Green jumped off Pigeot with a sigh as he called Blastoise and Talonflame from their balls. Both Pokémon looked at Green as if he'd inconvenience them in some way.

"Red said for you guys to help us out," Green said, pointing to the Plasma Grunts running towards them, Poké Balls in hand. "So...uh, go get 'em?"

Turning to each other, both Pokémon nodded before charging ahead. Behind him, Rusty knocked away more grunts before coiling itself towards to his side on Dodrio, Yellow looked at the scene with a look of disapproval.

"That was less than inspiring," she noted dryly and Green sent her an unimpressed look before noticing a blast of white light quickly coming towards them.

"Get down!" Green shouted, but his warning was unnecessary.

Jumping from Dodrio's back, Yellow allowed the three-headed bird to charge ahead and attack the Drapion responsible. Sensing another attack behind them, Yellow turned to Rusty and ordered the Steelix to wrap itself around them. Gathering the both in a shiny, steel cocoon, the two trainers were protected from a Whirlipede's poison pin attack. The speed of it all was enough to knock Green on his rear and when it was done, he looked up at Yellow from within Rusty's coil.

"I just saved your life!" Yellow announced brightly, the steel around them giving her skin a bright glow in the moonlight. "I guess that means we're even now, yes?"

Green watched dumbly as the blonde smiled around her words from the relief. His heart thumped in his chest, threatening to burst from his rib cage and suddenly his body was on autopilot. He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline of the battle or the look of her smile, but his body moved on its own as he pushed himself up with his legs to close the space between them in a kiss.

Surprisingly, Yellow's lips were soft against his mouth. The shock of the impact wore off quickly for the blonde and to his surprise the girl began returning the kiss with gusto. He wasn't aware how much he wanted this until it started, even though it was probably the worst time for a make out session.

Not breaking contact, Green lifted himself to his feet in order to wrap his arms around Yellow's waist to hold her more securely against him. Taking a hint, her arms coiled themselves around his neck tightly. Their height difference made it that she had to stand on her tip-toes and tug on his neck to bring him lower, causing him to gasp against her lips. She took this as a chance to deepen the kiss, opening his mouth against hers to explore his mouth with her tongue. He felt his veins catch fire and he knew he was done for. Feeling her against him, he put everything he had wanted to say to her those last few months into the kiss, wanting her to know without words.

"Oi!" called Blaine from a floor above them. "There's still a battle going on, kids!"

They broke away with a gasp. Still against his chest, Green looked down at the blonde to see her eyes wide, cheeks flushed and lips slightly swollen. He swallowed hard as he felt his ears warm, the sight causing his mind to actually processed what just occurred.

"I-I'm sorry!" he squeaked, embarrassed though apparently not enough to let go of the girl in his arms.

"Why?" Yellow asked, head tilted and Green felt his body temper raise even more. "I enjoyed it."

"You...you did?"

"Of course," she said as if telling someone the time or directions to the nearest Pokémon Center. "I would not have reciprocated if I did not enjoy kissing you"

"Oh...okay," Green stammered. "Good then."

"But I think we should talk about this more when we are not in the middle of saving the world," Yellow said earnestly. "It is not very appropriate."

"Oh...um...okay," Green said, pulling away slightly to clear his throat. "But...there will be more afterwards?"

Yellow stared at him for a beat before breaking into a laugh that bounced off Rusty's steel scales like a wind chime. Green felt his heart flutter in an emotion he knew was stronger than a simple crush. He wanted to hear that laugh for the rest of his life.

"Yes," she assured, taking his hand in hers and squeezing tightly. "There will be many more."

Rusty uncoiled from around them and Green saw his aunt fly from overhead on her Altaria. Seeing the two teens blushing and holding hands, she sent her nephew a questioning expression that he ignored with a shade of embarrassment. He ran off, still hand-in-hand with Yellow, as they battled more Plasma Grunts alongside Blaine and Janine. Taking a hint, Daisy grinned to herself before zipping up a few floors to assist her brother.

Ash and Gary doubled-up as they battled Lance and his dual Dragonites. Though her brother didn't have any Dragon or Fairy-types in his party, he did what he could with his Aerodactyl and Nidoking while Ash and Misty squared-off with their Charizard and Gyarados. Just as Gary was about to be hit with one of the Dragonite's hyper beam attacks, Daisy's Altaria intercepted with dragon claw. It was super effective.

"Mind if I cut in, little brother?" she said in a sing-song voice as she landed next to Gary. He gave her a look that was both annoyed and thankful. It was something only he could muster.

"If you insist," he said, motioning towards Lance's Dragonite as it got back on its feet.

"You can have a hundred people battle me, Oak, but it won't matter," Lance bellowed as he adjusted his cape dramatically over his shoulder. "I am the Champion, I cannot be defeated by a few mediocrely trained Pokémon!"

"Is he always so theatrical?" Misty deadpanned, sending her husband and Gary an exasperated expression.

"Yeah," the men groaned, both tired of Lance's constant monologuing.

Lance gritted his teeth, fist clenched as he ripped off his cape and threw it over the edge of the Bell Tower.

"Oh, you think this is theatric?" he growled, pulling two more Poké Balls from his belt. "Just you wait."

In a flash of light, Lance's Dragonair and Kingdra emerged from their balls. Expertly trained, both Pokémon began the battle without needing an order. As the dual hyper beams were released from them, both Gary's Aerodactyl and Ash's Charizard reflected the attack, sending it upward to the upper level of the Bell Tower.

N felt a beam of energy nearly graze his arm, but he was too focused on the fight before him to give it any thought. Though an older sage, Ghetsis was not as weak as he wanted people to believe. The staff he constantly used as a walker was a sheathed sword that he wielded expertly. With Darmanitan's enhanced abilities, N was able to dodge and weave around his thrusts, but it left him no opening for his own attacks.

"Enough!" Ghetsis called with a scowl. "Your attacks are sloppy, boy. I know I've trained you better than this!"

N's face twisted into a frown as he charged, flame fisted, at the sage. Without a pause, Ghetsis grabbed the teen by the wrists, stopping him mid-swing and raising them above his head. Struggling against his grip, N's jaw clenched tightly as felt the blade of his father's sword press against his throat. Slowly, the old sage leaned down to whisper into his ear.

"You're stalling," he hissed, causing N's blood to run cold. "And I know why."

Ghetsis' eyes rolled up, seeing Red fight against whatever Plasma Grunts were left on the roof to keep Blue stationed until the syzygy. One glance at the night sky made it evident how close the alignment was to being complete - probably no more than five minutes. While Red continued to fight his way through the last of the grunts, Blue was chained to the roof and unable to move. That is, until she found a partner.

Below them, the three Legendary Birds unsurprisingly broke from their confines. Zooming through the opening in the middle of the tower, Ghetsis' hand held N tightly as the birds flew past them and circled the tower.

"It's time to end this," Ghetsis said, kicking N away with his boot. Sheathing his sword, the man tapped the staff twice on the ground and an electric current zapped through the head. "If you aren't going to work with me by choice, I'll make you by force."

Raising his staff above his head, Ghetsis was about to electrocute the teen when the power went dead in his staff. Baffled, the man pulled it down to inspect the head in his weapon.

"Hey, Creepy Sage!" he heard and looked up to see Blue grinning maniacally, strands of her hair floating from static. Next to her, Red held one of her still shackled hands. "Don't blink!"

Ghetsis watched, mouth agape as Blue raised one hand towards the sky, luring Zapdos towards her. The bird send a powerful thunder attack down and through the Conduits. Harnessing the energy, Blue was able to transfer it to Red through their hands, to which he shot towards the Sage in a powerful bolt.

"AUGHHHH!" Ghetsis groaned, flying back and over the edge of the wood floor, landing a level below. N raised himself to his feet quickly, hurrying to climb down to where his father had fallen.

Red breathed heavily, feeling his body drained from channeling so much electricity at once. Looking next to him, he saw Blue's body slump and her ears were bleeding. Panicked, he took her into his arms.

"Blue!" he exclaimed, shaking her slightly. "C'mon, stay with me!"

Groaning, the girl shook her head before slowly looking up at Red, her blue eyes reminding him of seeing an ocean through foggy glass.

"Did we...did we get him?" she whispered and Red swallowed hard before giving her a bright grin.

"Yeah...yeah, we did."

"Good," Blue sighed, slipping out of consciousness.

Red shook the girl as he called her name loudly, his chest burning with fear as the corners of his eyes prickled with unshed tears. Above them, the light of the syzygy aligned, casting over them like a spotlight. Pulling Blue to his chest, he felt as if she was being absorbed into him, like they were both being devoured by the light.

Below, N stood over his father, a conflicted expression cast across his face. Pulling himself from the ground, the old man hissed in pain as he stood. Cranking his neck up, he saw the syzygy's light align. Herds of wild Pokémon from all over the regions gathered towards the light by land, sea and air.

Around the beam flew the Legendary Birds, as well as other fabled Pokémon. Latias and Latios zipped through the air followed by Ho-oh and Lugia. Uxie, Melsprit and Azelf soon followed from the middle of the Bell Tower. N even felt the presence of Celebi and Mew, as the shadow of Giratina haunted the wooden walls of the building before materializing above. While he always felt a connection to Pokémon, the power that flowed through N at that moment was indescribable. It was as if the entire planet was connected to one frequency and he was the megaphone.

"The light..." Ghetsis gasped gaining N's attention. The old sage's eye dilated as reached upwards as the syzygy's ray of light in a trance. The beam traveled along the wooden floor towards the middle opening of the Bell Tower. "The power within the light...I can finally have it."

N watched as Ghetsis stumbled forward, hands outreached as he touched the beam. With a loud sizzle, the skin on his hand began to disintegrate. Still dazed, Ghetsis allowed the beam to overtake him, mumbling under his breath about infinite power as the syzygy's light turned him to dust.

Staring at the ground, N shoved his foot under under Ghetsis' forgotten staff. Kicking it upwards, he caught it with ease. Walking to the edge of the tower, he leaned over to see Team Plasma's Grunts still fighting futilely. Climbing to the top of the railing, he looked over his shoulder to see the ray of light slowly creeping towards him. Turning back, he raised the staff over his head.

"TEAM PLASMA!" N shouted, gaining the attention of the entire Bell Tower, the light behind the team haloing him in an angelic glow. "I AM N, AND I AM YOUR KING!"

Ash, Misty, Daisy and Gary paused and watched in awe as the Plasma Grunts looked up at N. One by one, the grunts began to recall their Pokémon as they knelt before their new leader. Sending each other baffled looks, Green and Yellow looked up at the others in hope of some explanation for what was going on.

"It's over," said Lance, his head held low as the other watched the light devour N whole.

"What do you mean it's over?" Misty demanded, turning to the Champion as he recalled his own Pokémon. When he didn't answer her, she stomped in front of him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Lance! What happened to my son?!"

"In all honesty, he's most likely dead." Lance said, his voice emotionless as he stood limply.

Misty froze, her grip on the Champion's collar loosening. She swallowed hard before whispering in a hoarse voice, "No...you're lying."

"I don't have to," he said turning away from her grip as he looked towards the syzygy's light. "You already know it's true...we're all going to die."

"No...no..." Misty whispered in shock as Ash gathering her up in his arms as she began to sob. "Not Red...no..."

"Your tears are useless," Lance said simply turning up to see more Legendary Pokémon join the others. The clouds above began to swirl as Suicune roared and Rayquaza soared above. In the distance, they heard the waves begin to rise as Kyogre and Groudon continued a battle as old as time itself. "Without the Conduits to control them, these Pokémon are going to destroy the world. They're as powerful as ever with nothing better to do than destroy each other along with this entire planet. Ghetsis was a fool to believe any of those children could handle being Conduits."

"What are you going to do then?" Gary asked as Lance walked away from them towards the center of the tower.

"The only thing there is to do," Lance said looking downward as the wind blew up from the beneath the tower and ruffled his hair. "Die."

"LANCE, NO!" Ash shouted, but was too late. Misty screamed and turned into her husband's jacket as the man fell forward through the middle of Bell Tower. Behind him the syzygy's light landed in the middle of the tower. They watched blankly when the light didn't move anymore forward, but stayed in the middle of the tower, shining upwards like a beacon in the night.

The light pulsed, pushing a strange force forward that knocked the trainers to their knees. Gary and Daisy covered their faces with their arms as Ash held Misty against his jacket. A crash and gust of wind blew from above, sending them toppling over entirely.

"What was that?" Misty gasped, looking up at Ash as the Legendary Pokémon around them calmed slightly.

"That was Red," Ash said, pulling his hat over his face as another pulse pushed forward. "He's not giving up yet."

* * *

_"Hey."_

_Red opened his eyes, the oversized hat that sat on his face was enough to mask the afternoon sun but also made it hard to see who was speaking to him. Sitting up, he pulled it back, covering his dark-hair that was still too short. The grass of his front yard tickled against the back of his legs as he rubbed his sticky hands on his shorts. Finally looking up, he saw the bluest eyes he had ever seen starting back at him. The belonged to a girl in a yellow sundress who looked around his age. She smiled brightly before falling into a fit of giggles._

_"Don't laugh!" Red fought with a frown. "It's rude to just wake people up like that, y'know!"_

_"I didn't know it was okay to just sleep outside your house," the girl said, tucking a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear. "People in Kanto sure are weird."_

_"No!" Red fought, jumping to his feet and getting in the girl's face. "You're weird!"_

_"Nah uh!" the girl frowned, poking Red in the chest with a tiny finger. "I've been to Johto, so I know that you're weird!"_

_"So has my dad and he moved here!" Red said, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff. "He's a Pokémon Master and he's been everywhere! He's even traveling right now!"_

_"Really?!" the girl gasped, her surprise distracting her enough from the fight. "Let's go find him!"_

_The girl reached forward to take Red by the hand, pulling him behind her as she made her way up to the Cerulean Cove. Blushing frantically, Red stammered a protest which fell on deaf ears. The girl with the gorgeous eyes sent him a smile over her shoulder, her face suddenly older as her teeth were covered with a metal lining of multicolored braces._

_"I'm Blue," she said between the metal. Swallowing hard, Red scratched at the base of messy hair with a blush,_

_"Red," he said, voice breaking before he cleared his throat. "My name's Red."_

_Stopping in the middle of the cove, the girl turned to the field next to them. Her fingers still between his, he saw the clipped pink polish on her nails as she pointed at the scene._

_"Look."_

_Turning to the field himself, he saw younger versions of themselves in Elementary School Gym Uniforms competing in a sack race. On the sidelines, he saw the more youthful versions of his mother and Aunts rooting for him. Y_ _ounger Red, with a surprising amount of speed, was just about to overtake a younger Blue. Catching the back of her sack, he had inadvertently sent her flying forward into a mud bank, giving him the lead. Dirty-faced and hurt, the girl slowly began to cry as the other children passed her._

_Looking around the crowd, Red saw that there was nobody rooting for younger Blue the way his family was for him. Watching the scene, he saw his younger self look over his shoulder at the crying girl with a pause before turning around to sacrifice his lead to hop to her side. The girl's crying stopped as the boy took her by the arm, pulling her to her feet as they ended the race together, tying for last place._

_"That was when I first fell in love with you," Blue said, turning to face him. Her hair was tied back in the high ponytail she wore during their last year of school. Her braces newly removed, her teeth were straighter but still had a bit of an overbite. "I didn't even know what it was yet, but I knew it was something."_

_His father's hat that was once too big for him fit snugly now as she pulled up further up the cove. Around them, hundreds of memories from their childhood played out around them. One of which was when Blue had asked Red who'd he want to marry when they were children._

_"Ummm...I dunno," the young boy said as he sucked on a lollipop, his father's hat falling into his eyes as he leaned over the fence. He turned to his friend who was struggling to climb the wire to join his friend at the top. "Maybe Green? He's my best friend, so I guess that'd be cool."_

_Shocked by this announcement, Green lost his grip on the fence and fell backwards on his rear with a thump. Standing in front of Red looking shocked, the younger Blue blinked rapidly._

_"You wanna kiss Green?!"_

_"What does kissing got to do with being married?" Red asked, looking annoyed._ _"Doesn't marrying someone mean you gotta spend the rest of your life with them? That's like having a sleepover everyday with Green!"_

_"We'd play so many video games!" Green exclaimed, giving up on climbing the fence to stare through the wire at Blue. "You can come over too, Blue!"_

_"No! That's not what marriage is at all!" Blue groaned, slapping her head with her hand theatrically. "You gotta kiss the bride at the wedding to make her your wife!"_

_"Bleckkk!" both boys said in unison, sticking their tongues out as the girl threw her hands up in air exasperatedly._

_Next to him, Red heard Blue laugh under her breath. Looking down, he saw that she was in the outfit her Grandmother had given her for their journey. They were nearing the end of the cove._

_"Your outfit looks really nice," Red said making the girl turn around and look up at him from under her white hat. The flush on her cheeks made him smile. "I should've told you that when you first came over to go to Pallet Town."_

_She smiled, turning to face him and take both hands in hers, "It's okay. I wasn't surprised, you're a bit dense."_

_"I'm sorry for that," he said earnestly, pulling her hand to press it against his face. It was warm against his skin which he found relieving for a reason he'd forgotten. "For everything...I'm sorry I made everything so difficult for you."_

_"I wasn't the easiest either," she said, eyes bright. "I could've been a better Conduit."_

_"Conduits or not, I should've been a better boyfriend," he said and laughed heartily when Blue's face went crimson. "Oh, am I not supposed to call myself that now?"_

_"You...we..." she stammered, looking down at the ground still blushing. "Never...said we were like that..."_

_Pulling her to him, Red leaned down to peck Blue on the forehead, leaving a trail of kisses down her nose before whispering against her lips._

_"I love you, too," he said before pressing his lips against hers. Around them, the Cerulean Cove vanished, leaving them in a fuzzy white space. Pulling away, he saw that the girl in his arms wasn't crying, but smiling as her eyes shone brightly._

_"I love you too, too," she joked. "I've always loved you."_

_Nodding, Red smiled too as they both took a few steps away from the other hand-in-hand. Next to them, N appeared with his hands in his pockets as he strolled out of the whiteness. On his shoulder, Zorua meowed happily._

_"And where did you wander off to?" Red demanded as N made his way towards them. "We can't possibly control this syzygy with just two Conduits, y'know."_

_"Red, be nice!" Blue scolded before cheerfully_   _turning to N with her free hand extended._ _"Did you find what you were looking for?"_

_"Yes," the green-haired boy replied, taking her hand in his own before turning to Red with a smile before extending his own hand to him. "I have."_

_"Unless it was a sense of humor," Red said with a smirk as he took hold of N's hand while Blue rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Keep whatever you found to yourself."_

_"Just shut up and save the world, Ketchum."_


	40. Epilogue

_Five Years Later - The Indigo Plateau, Kanto_

The double doors of the Indigo Plateau opened with a loud creak to reveal the Pokémon League. A trainer with blue-hair held back with two pink clips walked through confidently, her Piplup strutting at her side. She stopped, however, when doors closed behind her with a heavy lock. Her Pinpulp squawked loudly as the trainer turned around to see her challenger on the other side of the arena.

Standing in the darkness on the other side, she was able to make out the silhouette of a man with his hands in his pocket, his hat covering his face. Instantly, the young woman gasped.

"Are you-"

"Yes!" said the man, lifting his head excitedly as he pushed back his hat with a grin. "I am Red Ketchum! Member of the Elite Four and one of the most power trainers in all of Kanto and Johto!"

Jumping from beneath the trainer's hat, Pichu climbed to the man's shoulder to let out sparks of electricity theatrically.

"Do you think you have what it takes to-"

"CUT!"

Instantly, the arena's lights turned on and the front doors unlocked.

"Oh, c'mon, Dawn!" Red sighed as Pichu deflated on his shoulder like a balloon. "What now? I thought that was really good!"

"Who said you can go and make your own effects?" Dawn demanded as she stormed across the arena to poke the man in the chest. "I told you that the atmosphere was intense enough!"

"Look, it was Pichu's idea and I think it's pretty cool," he said as the electric-type nodded on his head. "It gives me some gravitas, y'know?"

"You don't need any more gravitas, you're part of the freaking Elite Four!" Dawn groaned, rubbing her temples. "God, it's like trying to coordinate a bunch of Dodrio to look in the same direction!"

Red rolled his eyes at the girl when she pulled a clipboard out from behind her, making notes of his "terrible performance." Dawn's dramatics were nothing new considering she came from the contest circuit, but he didn't get why she had to get so upset with his improvising.

"You know I don't have problems like this with the other Elite Four members," she said, sending him a look over the paper as she released the nib of her pen with a click. "They all took to my ideas and perfected them."

If Red could snort without getting pegged with a pen, he would. He knew this "cooperation" was because Janine, Blaine and Brock would rather humor the girl as means to pacify her from coming up with anymore crazy ideas. After a glittery bomb exploded in Janine's arena after she told the girl the smog machine was too much, they learned it was better to keep their mouths shut and just go with it. Unfortunately, Red was a glutton for punishment.

"Monsieur Ketchum!" came a tiny voice that brought Dawn and Red's attention to the double doors. Standing in the entryway was a young woman with sandy blonde hair holding a stack of papers. "Ah!  _Je regrette!_  It appears I found the wrong Monsieur Ketchum!"

"No worries, Serena," Red said, enjoying the excuse to bail on Dawn's rehearsal. Gaining up on her a few short strides, he ignored the girl's protests as he took half of her paperwork. "And I keep telling you to call me Red."

" _Mais non_ , I couldn't!" Serena said, shaking her head. "I am only a simple trainer from Kalos, it would be rude to address a Member of the Elite Four by his first name!"

"You know how people from Kalos hate to be rude," Dawn mumbled under her breath earning herself an elbow in the rib from Red. She clicked the pen threateningly in his direction in response.

"It's fine," Red smiled, ducking away from Dawn's pen as he walked towards the door. "You're looking for my dad, right?"

" _Mais oui!_  He still needs to sign these important documents before tomorrow, but it seems that he is quite skilled at dodging his assistant, no?"

"Seems like him," Red sighed making his way to leave. "I'll help you find him. It'd be pretty embarrassing if the reopening of the Pokémon League gets delayed because of some lousy paperwork."

"Excuse me!" Dawn huffed, stopping Red in his tracks. "Where do you think you're going, Red Ketchum? We're not done with rehearsal!"

"You may not be, but I am," the man said over his shoulder. "I told you guys I'm leaving early today."

"Oh, isn't the Cerulean Gym's Grand Re-Opening is tonight?" Serena sighed dreamily. "I heard that the Sensational Sisters are performing a Water Ballet to celebrate the return of the Indigo League. Their performances are rumored to be  _très magnifique!_ "

"And considering I'm related to all of them, I can't miss it. I also have plans tonight beforehand." Red said with a wink at Dawn (who responded with a dramatic eye roll) before turning towards the door.

"Don't forget to be here for the ceremony tomorrow!" Dawn called

"I won't. It's at noon, right?" Red shouted over his shoulder, sending Serena a knowing look when Dawn yelled the correct time as he shut the door behind them with a laugh. "She gets worked up so easily."

"You should be nicer to Mademoiselle Dawn," Serena said with a frown. "She has been working very hard to make sure the new Indigo Plateau can be resurrected to its former glory."

"Believe me, Serena, that's the last thing we need."

Wandering through the newly constructed walls, the young man traveled through the halls and corridors with expert ease. Coming up to a recreational gym, he peeked through the sliding doors to see Blaine and Janine training.

"Well, look who's here," Blaine said with a smile. "Gonna actually practice for once, kiddo?"

"Don't be silly, Blaine," Janine scoffed, hands on her hips. "This is the Elite Four Member who only earned a Boulder Badge!"

Red inwardly groaned at the reminder. The syzygy five years earlier had left the Pokémon League and half of Kanto's Gym's destroyed. Lance's obvious descent into madness was enough to strip him of his title as Champion before his suicide. With such a complicated rebuilding process looming, there was a major reconstruction in the League. The reorganization led to a Gary vacating his title as Viridian City Gym Leader to focus on his research in Oak Laboratory, passing the Gym along to Green. After being chosen for the Elite Four alongside Red, Brock gave his brother Forrest full-reign on Pewter City's Gym, while Blaine and Janine found their own successors.

It was quickly pointed out that both Red and Green had only earned their Boulder Badges, and thus it was against the League Rules for either of them to run a Gym or join the Elite Four. Once made aware, most of Kanto's leaders awarded the boys their badges based on seeing their bravery fighting Team Plasma and taking control the syzygy. Only Erika, who never liked the Underground's lack of rule following anyway, demanded that the boys challenged her to a Gym match. However, Red always had a feeling she tossed the match considering she battled both boys with only a low-leveled Oddish.

"You had no qualms about giving me a Soul Badge after the Great Syzygy ended," Red retorted, earning himself a laugh from Blaine. "Have you guys seen my dad anywhere?"

"I haven't seen him anywhere, but I did see him somewhere," Blaine teased, stroking his beard the way he only did when he was mid-riddle. "Can you guess where?"

"Nowhere," Janine said, sending her fellow Elite Four Member an unamused look as Red motioned Serena to leave the gym.

"Darn it, Janine! You ruined it!" they heard Blaine scold as they traveled down the hall. Busy ticking off the places in his head where his father could be, Red couldn't hear a question Serena had asked him as they walked through the building.

"What was that?" he asked, turning to her.

"Um...I asked if it was true," Serena said as she stopped walking in order to stare at Red honestly. "That you could harness the power of Pokémon?"

"Well, I used to," Red answered with a shrug. "I haven't been able to channel anything since the Great Syzygy five years ago."

"Really?"

"Really." Red nodded as they began walking again towards the Pokémon Center on site. "I don't really miss it though. Being a Conduit wasn't all it was cracked up to be."

"There was a rumor about you back home," Serena admitted. "They called you three  _Enfants de la Lumière,_  which means Children of the Light."

Red nodded impressively. It was a lot cooler than what the Kanto newspapers had headlined a "Execution Gone Electric" and a "Unenlightened Teenage Trick." Thankfully the region's reconstruction these last few years had nearly erased the Pro-Lance sentiment and he was much less of a political scapegoat. They entered the Pokémon Center to see Daisy Oak staring at handful of new photos that Brock brought of his twins.

"And this is Garnet in his sailor suit," Brock squealed excitedly as he pointed to the photo in Daisy's hand. "We had him take a picture with Jade in her mermaid outfit. Aren't they just so cute together?"

"Wow, they're disgustingly adorable," Daisy said earnestly as she flipped through other pictures of the twins in various other matching outfits. "Sabrina and Whitney just adopted a baby boy from Sinnoh and it made Malva and I wonder if we should consider kids, too."

"You should! Daisy, parenthood is the best thing that's ever happened to me since Roxanne agreed to marry me," Brock exclaimed, taking hold of the doctor's hands and staring at her dead in the eyes. "Also, I'm sure as a medical professional you know just how horny women get while pregnant. "

"Is that why you keep knocking Roxanne up?" the woman asked looking sly as Brock grinned widely.

"It helps."

"I dunno, with Malva traveling everywhere reporting and me here making sure you idiots don't murder each other, I feel like we couldn't be the kind of hands-on Moms that kids need." Daisy said, sighing loudly as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her white coat. "I guess I can just wait until Green knocks Yellow up and spoil their socially awkward kid rotten."

"That's what my aunts did and I came out fine," Red said, gaining the attention of Brock and Daisy. "Also, Green and Yellow just got back from their honeymoon, don't force kids on them for your own benefit."

"Blah, you young people and your birth control," Daisy groaned handing Brock back his photos. "What's with the stack of paper? You kids take out a herd of Sudowoodo?"

"We are looking for Monsieur Ketchum!" Serena said brightly, holding up her stack. "Have you seen him?"

"Hmm, yeah I think he was outside here training," Brock said, thumbing the door. "He hasn't come in yet, so he's probably still out there."

" _Très bien!_ " Serena cheered before thanking Brock and heading outside with Red. Waving, Brock turned back to the doctor to see that the woman was pouting.

"What's wrong?"

"Ash's cute little Kalos assistant makes me miss Malva," she whined, turning to head to her office. "I'm gonna call her and see if I can get a special private Holo Caster session."

It didn't take long for Serena and Red to find Ash sleeping under a tree in front of the Pokémon Center, Pikachu curled into a ball on his stomach and his hat shielding his face from the sun. Jumping from Red's shoulder, Pichu hopped across the grass to nuzzle the older electric-type awake. Cranky, Pikachu did not appreciate the gesture as he attempted to shoo away the tiny Pokémon with its tail.

"Oi!" Red yelled, rudely waking his father by kicking him in the ribs. "What's the Pokémon Champion of the Indigo Plateau doing out here anyway, eh?"

"Augh...I was attempting to lay low," Ash groaned, rubbing his newly sore side with a frown. "Dawn's been up my butt all day about plans for tomorrow's opening ceremony. I don't think I can handle any more meetings where we pick streamer colors."

The man rose to his feet with a groan, leaning over to pick up Pikachu and his dirty hat. Placing his starter on his shoulder, he swatted his hat on the leg of his pants to free it from dirt. His hair was still unruly, though now was sporting strands of gray at the temples. While over dinner Red's Aunts would often drop unveiled hints about his father looking old, Ash couldn't be bothered. This was the same man who had to be physically dragged by his wife to go the barber to get his hair cut. On his face, he sported a rough patch of beard stubble along his chin, another thing his Aunts would comment on though his mother was oddly silent about.

Looking over at Serena, Red noticed that she was staring at the two of them intently. Red nudged the girl with his elbow he asked her what she was looking at.

"The two of you don't look as alike as people say," Serena admitted and the father and son looked at each other curiously.

She wasn't wrong. While the years did show on Ash's features, as Red neared his mid-20s more of his mother's attributes began to show in his features. Unlike his father's coal dark hair, Red's locks had a tinge of auburn that were apparent in the light and made themselves prominent in the summer. Always on the skinny side, while Ash's shoulders were strong and broad, Red's body was still streamlined from a lifetime of swimming with a coat of lean muscle. Even his skin color was a shade lighter than his father, who tanned in the summer while Red's skin fried.

It was some of the things the two got to learn about each other these last five years. Their similarities as well as their differences.

"Yeah, but I'm hotter, right?" Red joked earning himself an exaggerated eye-roll from his father. "You don't have to answer it since he's your boss, but we both know it's true."

"What're those?" Ash asked Serena, changing the subject as he pointed to the stacks of paper in their hands.

"Oh!" the girl blushed slightly as the direct conversation. "This is a bit of paper work you need to sign in order to get the League going tomorrow."

"A bit?" Ash echoed as Red dumped his portion of the stack into his arms. "There's enough paper here to fill a forest with trees!"

"It shouldn't take you much time," Serena said quickly, her ears a slight shade of pink as she placed her own stack on top of Red's. "Now I must be going to help Mademoiselle Dawn set up tomorrow's decorations.  _Au revoir!"_

Red and Ash mimicked her goodbye, though their French was atrocious. Squeaking from the grass, Pichu climbed up Red's pant leg and made itself comfortable on his shoulder.

"She has such a little crush on you," he teased his father earning himself a blank stare. "Oh c'mon, don't tell me you haven't noticed it!"

"How can she possibly have a crush on me? I'm, like, 30 years older than her," Ash snorted as they made their way to the main building on the lot. "I'm just an old fart."

"Young girls dig guys who look old but not ancient," Red shrugged. "That's what Uncle Gary told me once, anyway."

"Oh geez, as if he should be giving anyone any sort of dating advice," the older man groaned before sending his son an unimpressed look. "Guess who he's bringing to the show tonight."

"No!" Red gasped, stopping dead in his tracks in shock. "Erika?!"

"Mhm~" Ash nodded smugly, trying to hide his smile. "I didn't believe it either until your Mom showed me the RSVP."

"Wait, so are they finally saying they're a thing?" Red asked, walking again. "Because they've been in denial since the syzygy! Even Blue said-"

Red snapped his mouth close at the mention of the name, but it was too late. Turning on his heel so quickly he almost lost half the papers in his stack, Ash faced him with a cheshire grin.

"Dad-"

"I'm so happy you brought up Blue!" Ash interrupted as his son groaned. "So, did you pick it up?"

"Yeah..."

"Can I see it?"

"No!"

"Aw, c'mon!"

"I said no!"

"Please?"

"You can see it when it's on her finger, damn it!"

"Hey, I'm your father, I'm supposed to get first dibs at seeing what engagement ring my son picks out!" Ash pouted, kicking his son in the back of the leg weakly. "At least let me see if it's a nice ring!"

"Augh, fine!" Red groaned, reaching into the pocket of his jeans to pull out a tiny velvet ring box. Since his father's hands were currently filled with paperwork, he opened the box in front of him. The older Ketchum whistled as the sunlight hit the gem in the middle of the band. The ring itself wasn't extravagant, a sapphire gem with a round cut sat in the middle of a silver band. Looking closely, it was evident that the band had the shape of small infinity signs melted together.

"It's really nice," Ash said finally, smiling sadly and Red felt his heart jump into his throat. He hadn't seen that sort of smile from his father since they were reunited. Opening his mouth to protest, Ash instantly cut him off with a shake of his head.

"Sorry, it just hit me that you're grown now," he sighed. "Geez, you're older than I was when I proposed to your mom."

"That's weird."

"Shut up," Ash said with a laugh, giving his son another kick. "Anyway, you better get going or else you'll be late. I gotta get this stack done if any of you all want to be able to re-opening the League tomorrow."

Red nodded with a smile, reaching onto to his belt to pull out a Poké Ball. From the red light, Blue's Charizard emerged.

"Eh?" Ash said, raising an eyebrow. "Whatcha still doing with Charizard? Didn't Talonflame's wing heal already?"

"I'm proposing," Red winked, climbing on the back of the Blue's starter as his father shook his head. "Love ya, good luck with the paperwork! I'll see you tonight!"

"Love you too," he smiled. "And double luck to you."

Red grinned as he lifted off into the sky and flew across the familiar landscape of Kanto. Though his final destination was Pallet Town, the man knew he had to make a pit stop in Viridian City. Landing in front of the Gym, he watched as Green struggled to lock the front door of the Viridian City Gym. With his wallet clenched between his teeth, the chestnut haired man wiggled the key left and right, the sun shining against the clean silver band of his wedding ring. Recalling Blue's Charizard back into its ball, Red made his way to his best friend's side.

"Need some help?" he offered, instantly gaining the other man's attention. With a bright grin, Green instantly pulled his wallet out of his mouth and into his pocket as he pulled his best friend into a hug.

"Nah, I think I can figure it out," Green joked, jamming the door shut and finally getting the lock to click. "See! I'm totally ready to be a Gym Leader."

"Totally," Red laughed. "Is Yellow still at the Day Care?"

"Yeah, I was just on my way over." Green said motioning for Red to follow him as they walked down the road. "How's the Pokémon League coming? Is your Dad totally freaking out?"

"Eh, not really. It's more like everyone else is and he's just doing his thing," he shrugged as they waited for one of the cross-walks to change. "Are you guys still coming to the Gym tonight to see my Aunts show?"

"Yeah. My Dad's going too, you actually just missed him and Erika."

"Holy crap, so my parents weren't messing with me!" Red gaped at his friend. "Dude, are they finally admitting that they're dating? Because for two people who claim they're not dating, they're totally dating each other."

"Augh, don't even get me started on that," Green rolled his eyes. "They were each other's dates to our wedding, remember?"

Honestly speaking, Red couldn't remember much from Green and Yellow's wedding. Even though he was the Best Man and Blue was the Maid of Honor, they had gotten so drunk that Red was impressed that both of them managed to make it back to Blue's place in one piece.

"Bits and pieces."

"Well, anyway as long as she keeps my Dad busy and not locked in the Lab all day, I'm cool with it," he said as they neared Yellow's Day Care. "Erika's sweet and makes him actually go outside to see sunlight from time to time."

As they entered the gate of the Day Care, Red waved at Yellow with a smile. Shortly after the syzygy, Green and Yellow had moved into a small house in Viridian where Yellow opened a Day Care on the ground floor, though it was for both young children and Pokémon. The blonde was sitting on the stoop of the house with a small boy who was waiting for his mother to pick him up. Her hair was still long, tied back in a messy bun with strands of gold framing her face. Though her apron and hands were covered in paint, her wedding ring was still as shiny as Green's - she was careful to keep it clean.

When Green and Red reached the steps, the boy next to her looked at them both wide-eyed.

"Oh wow!" he said, pointing upwards. "You're Red Ketchum from the Elite Four!"

"You got it!" he smiled with a thumbs up as the boy turned to Green with a similar look.

"And you're Ms. Yellow's new husband!" he gasped and Green laughed awkwardly, rubbing his neck.

"Yup, that's right."

"So does that make you Mr. Yellow?"

"Yes," Yellow answered with a nod before Green could correct her. Luckily, the boy's mother quickly turned the corner, opening the gate of the Day Care where the child ran into her arms excitedly. Yellow said her goodbyes to the boy with a wave before turning to peck her husband on the lips.

"You shouldn't say stuff like that to the kids," he whined with a pout.

"Why?" Yellow asked, her voice even-toned as alway. "You are my husband, so that makes you Mr. Yellow."

Green made a face, though Yellow pecked his nose lovingly before turning to embrace Red, "It's good to see you, Ketchum."

"When do I get to be called Red?"

"I suppose when I start going by Ms. Oak."

"So never?"

"I wouldn't say that," Yellow smiled at Green before turning back to Red. "Will you and Blue be at the Water Ballet tonight?"

"Yes, but first I gotta get some business done," Red answered, peeking the velvet box from his pocket with a wink. Green's eyes lit up as Yellow smiled widely, paint covered hands clapping together in glee.

"Finally!" Green shouted, pulling his friend in for a hug and patting him on the shoulder. "I thought you guys were just gonna move in and live in sin for the rest of your life."

Red sent his friend an annoyed look. After Daisy Oak was offered the Chief of Staff position for the medical arm of the Indigo Plateau, Delia Ketchum had offered to move into the Oak's Goldenrod City apartment to make sure Professor Oak wasn't left alone. Though Daisy was grateful, the aging Pokémon Professor seemed less than excited to have another person telling him what to do. However, he did admit that at least Delia's cooking was good.

"Listen, even though Blue is living in my Grandmother's old house I didn't need a ring to feel comfortable moving in," he shrugged. "I just...y'know...figured it was time."

"I won," Yellow said, turning to her husband before looking back at Red. "I had a bet with him over whether or not you'd propose after our wedding."

"It was for fun!" Green laughed nervously when Red frowned.

"You owe me 20 dollars," Yellow said, shrugging when Green sent her a desperate look. "What? Twenty dollars is very fun."

"You guys are jerks!" Red shook his head as he punched his friend in the arm lightly. "Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and tell you the good news. Pretend to act surprise when you see us tonight."

"There's no need to act surprised if she agrees to marry a dumbass like you - it'll be pretty genuine." Green joked, earning himself another punch. Red waved and made his way out of the gate, heading down the street. He was just about to pull Charizard's ball from his belt again when he felt something weird in his gut.

Looking down the road, Red saw the opening to Route 1. Making his way closer, he felt the feeling intensify. Standing in the middle of a grassy field, the wind blew through the grass and up into Red's hair. Pichu peeked its head from underneath his hat, sniffing the air. Instantly, it's tail frayed and puffed upwards.

"Pichu Pi!"

Red turned around before the punch even landed, catching the other man's fist in his hand in his palm. Dark eyes met green and he couldn't stop the smirk from tugging on the corner of his mouth.

"Hello, N," he greeted and the man smirked back.

The years hadn't aged the man much, however Red did notice he had gotten a haircut. N's mint hair was now trimmed into a shaggy cut, brushing against his ears. His hair brushed against the gray down vest he wore over his black turtle neck and jeans. Hanging from his back pocket was still that stupid square puzzle on a chain.

Releasing his fist, N jumped backward. The interaction appeared to be too stressful for Pichu, who went back to hiding under Red's hat.

"Good afternoon, Ketchum," he nodded.

The wind blew between them, rustling the tall grass. Herds of Pidgey and Rattata scampered around their ankles, staring at the boys curiously.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Red said finally, hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Not after we took control of the Great Syzygy and kept the Legendary Pokémon from overtaking the planet."

N remained quiet, his shaggy green hair blowing in the wind.

"Afterward the Underground took the three of us to the hospital since we'd all lost consciousness," Red continued. "You escaped."

"I discharged myself," N corrected and Red couldn't hold back a laugh. "There were bigger things I had to do than sit in a hospital bed."

"Right, like try to resurrect Team Plasma back in Unova?" Red saw N's mouth twitch and he knew he hit a nerve. "Didn't go so well, huh?"

There was a heavy pause, but Red didn't mind waiting.

"I heard rumors that Kanto and Jhoto are re-opening their Pokémon League tomorrow," N said, changing the subject. "Congratulations on becoming part of the Elite Four, but you know why I'm here."

"Yeah, I do," Red said, rolling his shoulders. "Let's get this over with."

N charged forward, throwing the first punch which Red was able to dodge by throwing his weight back. He landed on the back of his hand, kicking the green-haired man off balance. Charging forward to pin him, Red found his wrist snatched by N. Looking at him wide-eyed, Red was pulled him to his feet as the other man inspected the skin of his forearm.

"I see," he said, his eyes raising to meet Red's in a cold stare. "So you're branded, too."

Looking down at his skin, Red saw the scar on his arm. He couldn't remember much after the light of the syzygy swallowed them whole. He knew that Blue, N and him had managed to take control of the Legendary Pokémon through their powers, but everything after was sucked from his mind like a vacuum. After he had woken up in a hospital bed across from Blue's, the two of them looked down at their right arms to see a deep red scar. As if someone had crawled into their bodies and forcibly pulled something from within them. It seemed that N held the same mark.

"Lemme guess, you can't harness a Pokémon's power anymore either?" Red asked with a raised eyebrow. N's silence was enough of an answer. "Do you miss it?"

"Not particularly. It appears that my sensitivity to Pokémon's feelings was something deeper within me than just my power as a Conduit," N said, releasing Red's arm. Moving back, he lifted his hand to reveal the velvet box that held Blue's engagement ring. "Looks like your bond with Blue was more than just Conduit partners, hm?"

Gaping like a Magikarp, Red patted himself down from his jacket to the back of his jeans to as if unable to believe N had swiped the box.

"Damn it!" Red fought, reaching out to snatch the box back and shove it back into his pocket. "Don't go taking shit that isn't yours!"

N's face broke into a smile, which Red found pretty creepy. Kicking the man in the shin, the green-haired man let out a loud laugh that was even more uncomfortable.

"Quit acting like a human being, you weirdo," Red scolded, punching the man in the arm. "I'll kick your ass again."

"As if you ever could, Ketchum," N sighed, shoving his hands in the pockets of his vest. "I've been busy these last few years rebuilding Plasma to be more than a tool for evil. Anthea and Concordia have been helping me expand its presence in Unova as an organization that promotes peace between humans and Pokémon."

"That's good to hear. I was concerned when I heard rumors of Plasma resurging. Seems pretty familiar to what Cassidy and Butch tried to front with Team Rocket," Red said, turning to walk along the route with the green-haired man. "You're not as bad as I thought, N."

"I'm still not very good," the man said with a shake of his head. "I have my father's sins on my shoulders and a lifetime to make things as right as I can. I've done a lot terrible things to people who didn't always deserve it. Though I may not have the powers of the Conduit anymore, I like to believe I can still make the world a better place on my own."

Red nodded and walked side-by-side with the man in silence. When they reached the outskirts of Pallet Town he turned to N with a extended hand.

"I'm gonna take a guess and say this is where we part," Red said and N nodded, taking his hand in his own in a strong shake. "You don't have to be a stranger, y'know. Blue would really like to see you. It's been a long time."

"Maybe someday when I'm the kind of man that's worth her friendship," N said, turning to walk off. Looking over his shoulder, he smirked. "Though I don't think you're good enough for her, I wish you both luck."

"You're a royal pain in the ass, you know that?"

"They don't call me King without reason," N called, waving over his shoulder as he walked away.

Red shook his head before pulling out his Pokégear, swearing loudly when he saw the time. Running down the familiar dirt path of the tiny town, he waved politely at the familiar resident as he rushed. Skidding to a stop, he reached the front of Oak Laboratory in record time. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his jacket and hat in the window of the the door before opening it.

He was greeted with a punch in the face by Lucario.

"YOU'RE LATE!" yelled a too familiar voice as Red covered his face with his hand. He was pretty sure he was bleeding as he watched his girlfriend stomp towards him from across the lab.

She stopped to stand in the entryway of the lab fuming as her small Eevee sat perched on the shoulder of her lab coat. It was a gift from Gary after he recruited her to be his assistant at Oak Labs. Her presence was apparent, with various postcards of Sevii Islands from Bill and Meowth hung on the walls as well as pictures of the two of them on her desk. Also framed was the picture she had taken with her Pokégear of Green, Yellow and the two of them at the ravine during their journey.

It was obvious that Blue was pissed, but Red had expected that. He was an hour late, but after all this time he couldn't help but wonder if she was overreacting a little bit. He turned to see if any aides were around who could provide witness testimony in the event that she actually did kill him.

Unsurprisingly, there were none.

"I told them to head home early today since tomorrow's going to be crazy with all the newbies getting their starters," she explained, noticing his looking. "Not everything is all celebrations and fireworks - some people actually have to work tomorrow!"

"I work!" Red argued, though it was hard to make out with his nose covered. Pulling away his hand, he was relieved to see that the bleeding had stopped. "Being part of the Elite Four is a job."

"Yeah, one where I barely get to see you..." Blue said quietly, scratching her Eevee behind the ears before placing the Pokémon on the ground. Red raised an eyebrow, hearing the comment.

"What was that?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"It's obviously something if you're commented on it, so just spit it out."

"Look, your Mom is going to be angry that we're late so we better get going," she shrugged off her lab coat.

"No, you're upset and I wanna know why!"

"I really don't want to fight right now," Blue sighed as she headed to the stairs of the lab to leave her jacket upstairs. Not knowing what else to do, Red followed her up.

"It doesn't have to be a fight!" Red called as her brown hair swooshed behind her as she climbed the stairs. "Just tell me what you said!"

"Let it go, Red!" she shot back, looking over her shoulder.

"So let me know what I did wrong so I can make it up to you!"

"Well first off, you're making me late to the Water Ballet, so there's that," Blue grumbled under her breath at she reached the top of the stairs.

"HA!" Red said, pointing upwards at her. "You did it again!"

She turned around and looked down at him, her blue eyes filled with an emotion that he couldn't quite pick out. It was as if she was pulling a memory from within them both, and it hit him.

This tiff was nearly identical to the one that brought upon their first kiss at the Pewter City Museum.

Red swallowed hard as Blue shook her head and excused herself to get changed in her office. Her Eevee hopped gracefully from her shoulder and Red felt Pichu squirm out from beneath his hat to follow. Red slowly made his way to her office door after it shut, taking a seat outside and resting his head on the wood.

"I'm sorry I was late," he said loud enough so she could hear it. "I met up with people after leaving the League and lost track of time."

"Seems you lose track of time a lot since you agreed to be part of your Dad's Elite Four," he heard her say through the door. She paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound unsupportive, but I'm just worried."

"About what?"

There was another pause and he knocked on the wood lightly, saying her name in a soft voice. He heard a thump on the other side signally she was leaning against the door as well. He leaned his cheek against the cool wood of the door to hear her better.

"That we're going to move in together but never see each other," she confessed. "That we're going to end up living two different lives and lose each other."

"Blue, you idiot," He laughed and he heard her huff of annoyance through the wood. "If we haven't gotten sick of each other in twelve years of friendship and five years of dating, why the hell do you think the reopening on the Pokémon League would separate us?"

"Don't laugh, you jerk!" she scolded, but he could hear the relief in her voice. He heard her moving and soon she raised up on her knees to open the door. When he saw her, he pushed himself upwards to kiss her, nearly sending her falling back on her rear.

"Stop worrying so much, it's gonna be fine," he whispered against her lips.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm with you," he smiled, rising up to his feet so he was at his full height. Pulling her towards him for an embrace, he took hold of her hand and brought her knuckles to his face to kiss them sweetly. "Everything's always better when I'm with you."

He looked down as her, his eyes traveling from her face to the mark that resting on her own forearm. Pulling her arm up slightly, he landed a kiss on the scarred skin and earned himself a giggle.

"That tickles!"

"I love you," he smiled against her skin.

"I love you too," she replied before pushing him away. "Okay, enough of this. I gotta get ready for real or else we'll never get to Cerulean City on time."

Red nodded and turned to leave before Blue gasped and took hold of his arm. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I need Charizard back," she said, pointing to the Poké Ball on Red's belt. Instantly the man began to sweat, nervously. "Talonflame's wing already healed, right? Your mom called the other day looking for you about it. Talonflame's waiting for you at the Gym."

"Um...y-yeah!"

"Okay, so give me back Charizard."

Blue outstretched her hand and Red began to panic. Since buying Blue's engagement ring, he had been up late most night trying to figure out the perfect proposal. She wasn't the kind of girl who would appreciate finding her ring at the bottom of a champagne glass or in the middle of a piece of cake ("What if I ate that?!" she'd scream). He also wasn't the kind of guy who'd offer to go mountain hiking or on a hot air balloon to propose ("When the hell do you like to go nature watching?" she'd scoff).

Therefore, his plan was simple. After returning Blue's starter, he would excuse himself to pick up something quick from the Pokémon Mart. Instantly, she would notice that the Poké Ball felt lighter and would open the ball to reveal the engagement ring. Running to the window to see him, she's find him there sitting on Charizard's back. She'd accept (obviously) and they'd kiss and...well, he hadn't plan that far ahead, but he was sure he could wing it afterwards.

What now? If he gave her the fake ball with the ring in it, it'd ruin him leaving and her finding him. She'd open the ball instantly and it'd ruin the surprise. He could tell from her tapping foot that Blue was getting impatient and Red swallowed hard.

It was now or never.

Reaching on to his belt, he pulled the decoy Poké Ball from his belt and handed it to her. Raising an eyebrow, she looked at him as if he was crazy.

"That's not Charizard," she said simply. "The ball's too light."

Red was positive this was going to kill him. Forget everything else he'd gone through in his life, this is what was gonna do him in.

"W-What're you talking about?" he laughed nervously, trying to fight off the urge to run away and give up on this whole proposing thing. Green had made it look so easy!

"Charizard is a big Pokémon, so his ball always weighs a bit more than the others," she explained, lifting the device up and down with her hand to show its lightness. "Whatever this is, it's not him."

"Um...w-w-why don't you check?"

"I don't have to," she said, growing annoyed. "Red, if you didn't bring him here you can just say so."

"But I did bring him!"

"Then give his ball to me!"

"I did!" Red growled blushing deeply and pulling at his hat in frustration. "Blue...just open the damn ball!"

"Why should I? It's obviously not my Pokémon!" she fought, clicking the white button on the ball. As it popped opened quickly, she saw that she was right. "It's empty!"

"Look closer."

She sent a skeptical look his way before glancing into the ball. It didn't take long for her to notice the ring sitting at the bottom of it.

"Oh my god…" she gasped and turned to Red. "Is this…?"

"I...I had a better way to doing it than us fighting," he said, feeling his own ears warm as he looked on the ground. "But I guess it's kinda appropriate when you think about it."

"Get on one knee!"

"What?!" Red exclaimed, as the blushing girl pointed to the ground frantically.

"You're suppose to get on one knee when you ask a girl to marry you!"

"That sounds uncomfortable…" he grumbled, but complied. Looking up at her, they both blushed deeper and he instantly stood back up. "Sorry, that was too weird."

"You're right, that was really weird," she nodded still scarlet, handing him back the ball. "You can say it at face-level and then hand me the ring."

"Thanks for the directions, would you like to run this entire proposal or can I do my thing?"

"Sorry! Okay go!"

Red swallowed hard before taking a deep breath. Meeting her eyes, he felt calmer and was able to begin.

"Blue, when we met I was a bratty kid from Cerulean City who spent most of his days looking up at the sky waiting for his dad to come home. It wasn't until you forced your way into my life that I started to look down and appreciate where I was standing. From that moment on you pushed me to be better - to act better, think better, behave better and even see the world better. When we both realized we were Conduits, I felt a bit of relief because I knew I was with you. You always inspired me to do great things and for the first time I was able to do great things with the girl I'd be unknowingly in love with since I was six year-old." he said, taking a moment to clear the emotion from is throat. "Now we've made the world a better place for everyone and that's all because you believed that we could without bloodshed and self sacrifice. Even when I tried to fight against you, your current was always stronger and you've led me in the right direction. Moving forward, I want to spent the rest of my life being swept by you and having you tell me you told me so."

Popping open the Poké Ball, the sapphire ring was revealed again.

"Blue, will you-"

"YES!" she exclaimed, throwing herself forward and smashing her mouth against his. He held her tightly before she pulled away and he took her hand in his to place the ring on her finger. Once it was on, they exchanged looks with a giddy smile before kissing again. The empty ball fell to the ground with a thump as their kiss intensified with Red pinning Blue to the back of the door, slamming it closed.

"By the way, I did bring Charizard back. His ball is on my belt," he whispered between kisses, groaning when Blue dragged her nails through his scalp, knocking off his hat in the process.

"Good, cause we're going to need his speed to get to the after-party of the Water Ballet in time," she said against his lips, leaving a trail of kisses down his neck and she pulled off his jacket.

"After-party? The show doesn't even start for an hour," he gasped when his jacket hit the floor next to his hat. "How late do you plan on being?"

"Very, very late," she smiled impishly, her ocean blue eyes glowing. Red's breath hitched in his throat as he drowned in their depths, ready to sink into her for the rest of his life.

He pulled her in for another kiss, and felt a familiar spark pass between them.

**Author's Note:**

> Like the story? Wanna talk about it? Find me at Astrolatte.tumblr.com!


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